Aloha North Shore Community,

It was an honor to join Councilmember Scott Nishimoto at our February Council meeting in recognizing Howard Okamura for his extraordinary dedication to public service. Howard is officially the longest-serving staff member in the Department of Customer Services (CSD), having served more than six decades and under eight mayors, starting with Mayor Neal Blaisdell. His dedication to public service is a testament to his unwavering work ethic and passion for serving the people of Oʻahu.

Landfill Update

First, I want to say mahalo to everyone who has been advocating for the protection of our aquifers and agricultural lands. We are currently in the process of drafting proposed budget amendments to restrict City funds from being used for the current proposed landfill location. Aside from the City’s budget process, I did want to encourage you to also continue tracking (1) House Bill 969, which would prohibit landfills above our drinking water aquifers, and (2) Senate Bill 438, which would prevent any landfills from being cited over aquifers or on prime agricultural lands.

Community Updates

Mahalo to everyone who has reached out in support of the North Shore First Responder Center, which would help improve emergency service access and response times for residents and visitors alike. It is our understanding that the City Administration and the property owner are still in discussions on a potential sale price. As we approach the City’s budget process, please sign up for our e-newsletter for updates on when to submit testimony in support of this and other projects we anticipate adding to the City’s budget.

The Department of Customer Services has confirmed that the DMV kiosk we reported on last month will be installed at Mālama Market, with completion anticipated by the end of April. While manufacturing delays have impacted the timeline, we appreciate the community’s patience as this service expansion moves forward. I will share any updates should the timeline change.

New Legislative Updates:

As a reminder, you may visit https://www.honolulucitycouncil. org/ to submit testimony on any bill or resolution that is pending before the City Council. With that in mind, I wanted to provide you an update on our two most recently introduced bills.

We co-introduced Bill 15 (2025) to create a cesspool conversion grant program to provide financial relief for our families burdened by the costs associated with meeting the state’s mandate to phase out cesspools by 2050. The program would be funded by the newly created Climate Resiliency Fund, and the measure has been referred to the Budget Committee.

We also introduced Bill 18 (2025) to allow the City to lead by example by removing single-use plastic bottles from City vending machines. As we work towards better managing our waste, the more we can reuse, divert, and compost, the more we can reduce what we have to put into our landfill. The measure has been referred to the Housing, Sustainability, Economy, & Health Committee.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me at (808)768-5002 or at mweyer@honolulu.gov.