Maui County must explain the long-term costs of its spending
by Mike White, former Chair of Maui County Council, October 28, 2026
Families across Maui County are making hard choices. Rent, groceries, gas, electricity and insurance all cost more than they did a few years ago, and many of our kids and grandkids can’t afford to build a life here. Households are watching every dollar. Our County government should exercise the same discipline.
As a former Chair of the Maui County Council and its Budget and Finance Committee, I know every budget involves tough tradeoffs. What concerns me about the administration’s direction is the growing scale of its spending proposals and whether residents have enough information to judge their costs and benefits.
This month, Mayor Bissen asked the Council to establish $30 million in bond funding for Molokai property acquisitions. The administration says individual purchases would return to the Council for approval after further evaluation. This leaves us with a basic question: Why establish a $30 million borrowing authorization before presenting a detailed acquisition plan? Residents deserve to know what properties are included, what they are expected to cost, how the County plans to use those properties, and how repaying the bonds would fit within the County’s finances.
This recent $30 million request fits a larger trend. The County’s budget has roughly doubled in six years, from about $823 million in fiscal year 2021 to more than $1.6 billion today. Wildfire recovery explains some of that growth, but not all of it.
On water, Mayor Bissen aims to acquire a number of former plantation water systems: $30 million for Maui Land & Pineapple’s West Maui assets; $6 million for the Launiupoko and Olowalu systems; a renewed push for Wailuku Water Company; and now Molokai water assets. Adding East Maui Irrigation, the largest system of all, could push those commitments well past $100 million.
The 64% of voters who created the East Maui Water Authority didn’t approve a blank check. They approved a community-run water authority on the reasonable assumption that water systems would be acquired only when feasible, beneficial, and within the County’s financial means. The cost of buying and running aging plantation systems will fall on ratepayers and taxpayers for decades.
On grants, Mayor Bissen’s administration says that the Office of Economic Development has awarded $75 million over the past three years. That money should deliver visible results: jobs created, local businesses strengthened, a growing economy. Yet the County has not shared a clear accounting of what that money produced on those measures. When more than half of local households cannot afford basic necessities, $75 million in public money demands strong oversight and a real return on investment.
Here’s the hard truth. The County has no money of its own. Nearly every dollar comes from residents and local businesses through taxes, fees, water rates, and borrowing, that our children will still be left paying for decades from now. Spending at this pace greatly increases the risk of higher taxes and fees for the same families struggling to stay in Maui County.
Instead, the County should control spending and focus on what matters most: affordable housing for local families, infrastructure that works, and real economic opportunity for our residents. Borrowing should follow a detailed plan, not come before it. Grant programs should report measurable economic results. Major spending bills deserve a full review in the relevant Council committee. In short, when public money is being spent, transparency is absolutely essential.
The people of Maui County are making tough decisions to make ends meet. I believe our government should be doing the same.
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MN: Mayor Bissen proposes $30M in bond funding to protect critical Molokaʻi lands, water assets : Maui Now
SA: Maui County considers $30M bond proposal to acquire Molokai land | Honolulu Star-Advertiser