Maui County Council advances $30 million bond for Molokaʻi land and water.
The Maui County Council voted 8-1 Friday to approve, on first reading, $30 million in general obligation bonds for possible land and water infrastructure acquisitions on Molokaʻi. Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura voted no.
Bills 150 and 151 would amend the fiscal 2027 budget. The county said the money could go toward properties including land in Kaunakakai used for county operations, but it has no acreage estimate because negotiations are ongoing. Funding would not by itself authorize any specific purchase; the council would consider individual acquisitions in later legislation.
Mayor Richard Bissen proposed the funding and said it would return control of ancestral lands to organizations accountable to Molokaʻi’s people. Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, who introduced a 2025 resolution on the issue, called it “an important step.”
What to watch: The bills face second and final reading Nov. 13.
Earlier updates and background
- 2008: Molokaʻi Ranch, the island’s largest landowner, shut down its operations.
