Resolution to demolition dispute shot down

WAILUKU - A divided Maui County Council voted down a request by Mayor Alan Arakawa's administration Wednesday to expedite a bill that would amend the current county budget to explicitly call for the demolition of the Old Wailuku Post Office after the fact in an attempt to resolve a simmering dispute between the mayor and the council.

The council's 5-4 vote shot down an effort to have the measure skip the committee review process and to proceed directly to action by the full council. The bill, instead, will be referred to the council's Budget and Finance Committee.

The Arakawa administration had drafted the bill in an effort to resolve a dispute surrounding the demolition of the building that some council members believe should be formally investigated. The dispute centers on the use of about $1.5 million for the demolition of the building and for planning of a county campus expansion when the appropriation called for the "rehabilitation" of the more than 50-year-old building that stood at the corner of Wells and High streets.

Some council members say the action of the mayor's administration could be a violation of the County Charter.

But Arakawa's administration contends that the demolition project was highly publicized and not a secret. Administration officials discussed the building's situation with council members individually and told the council's Budget and Finance Committee in 2012 that requests for proposals were going out for the demolition set for the end of 2012 and into this year, according to a more-than-200-page document provided by the administration to council members and the public.

Some council members have said that they knew the demolition was going on but did not question where the funding came from. Questions by council members about the funding came after the building was demolished early this year.

The bill to amend the budget comes as a proposed formal investigation into possible misuse of funds by the administration in the building demolition makes its way to the full council. The council's Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee on Monday voted to push forward a resolution to allow for the committee to conduct a formal investigation and to call administration officials and county staffers before the panel to answer questions.

The resolution is scheduled to be heard by the full council July 5.

At a special County Council meeting Wednesday, Managing Director Keith Regan asked the council to take up the bill to amend the budget and to approve it. He said the administration would continue to work with the council "to clarify our position" after the measure was approved.

By amending the budget, Regan said that it could help the county move forward with its campus expansion plans, which call for constructing a new county building on the site of the former post office. The new building will save the county nearly $2 million a year in rent, Regan said, adding that the county currently spends $150,000 a month on rent for its offices.

Read more here:
Resolution to demolition dispute shot down