Big Island County committee backs doubling land conservation maintenance funds

Hawaii County took a step toward spending more to care for the land it has already saved. The Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee voted 7-0 on Tuesday to forward Bill 165, which would double the share of real property tax revenue flowing into the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Maintenance Fund from 0.25% to 0.5% and remove the fund’s $3 million accrual limit.

Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder and Dennis Onishi were absent from the vote. The measure now goes to the full Hawaii County Council with a favorable recommendation, keeping the larger question in front of lawmakers: whether conservation on the Big Island should be backed not just by land purchases, but by a steadier stream of maintenance dollars.

That distinction matters because the county’s PONC program does more than buy property. Acquired parcels are protected from development in perpetuity and opened for educational, recreational and cultural uses, while nonprofit groups can seek grants for public safety, habitat restoration, land management and cultural site preservation. The acquisition side of the program is financed by 2% of annual property tax revenues; Bill 165 would increase the maintenance side so preserved land does not sit vulnerable to weeds, erosion, broken fencing, rubbish, or neglected access.

The maintenance fund has existed since 2012, but county reporting in 2021 and 2022 showed it had already climbed past the $3 million cap, renewing complaints that stewardship work was moving too slowly. That pressure helped lead to a PONC subcommittee and public calls for the county to be more proactive. The new bill would remove the cap entirely, a change meant to give the fund more room to build reserves for long-term upkeep.

The practical impact would fall on places already in the county’s preservation portfolio and on the nonprofits hired to care for them. In November 2024, the county approved 11 PONC grants to eight nonprofits totaling more than $1.2 million to steward over 3,400 acres. Recent acquisitions show what that stewardship looks like on the ground: Honolulu Landing, a 364-acre coastal parcel on the Puna Coast near Hawaiian Shores with about 4,000 feet of rocky shoreline and archaeological sites; a $2.1 million shoreline parcel near Banyans in Kailua-Kona, saved from a five-story condominium project; and Kawainui Makai in North Kohala, an 81-acre property that provides shoreline access and coastal open space.

If the full council follows the committee’s lead, the county will be saying that preservation is not finished when the deed is recorded. It ends only when the land is cared for well enough to stay open, safe and usable for the public.