The Maui County Council on Sept. 26 approved a slate of ceremonial resolutions, personnel appointments and budget and zoning items during a meeting that ran through routine business and several public testimonies.

Members adopted Resolution 25‑181 recognizing September 2025 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Resolution 25‑185 recognizing Sept. 21 as Peace Day (each carried by 8 ayes, 1 excused). The council also took action on multiple first‑reading budget and administrative bills, passed several items on second reading and referred conditional zoning and recovery matters to standing committees and the Planning Commission.

Why it matters: The votes enact symbolic recognitions that county staff must transmit to named organizations and free up follow‑on procedural work on budget reallocations, recovery grants and rezoning requests tied to wildfire recovery. Several of the fiscal items provide short‑term funding or redirect existing appropriations to community resiliency, cultural recovery and event support.

Key actions and outcomes (selected):
- Resolution 25‑181 (Childhood Cancer Awareness Month): Adopted, 8 ayes, 1 excused. Certified copies directed to local and state organizations named in the resolution.
- Resolution 25‑185 (Peace Day): Adopted, 8 ayes, 1 excused.
- Bill 129 (ordinance allowing Board of Ethics investigator and administrative assistant to be filled part time, pro rata pay): Passed on first reading (roll call recorded; motion carried).
- Bill 133 (budget amendment shifting $15,000 into Aloha Classic marketing/event line): Passed on first reading.
- Bill 134 (MEMA reallocation to community resiliency hub grants): Passed on first reading.
- Bill 135 (National Trust grant $10,000 for Lahaina Royal Complex master planning): Passed on first reading.
- Bill 120 (Hana Health state land‑use boundary amendment): Passed on second and final reading to permit a workforce housing/clinic project in Hana (vote carried).
- Resolution 25‑180 (referring conditional change in zoning for Lahaina United Methodist Church to the Planning Commission): Approved for referral; the council amended the draft language to strike “all” and insert “several” to reflect that not every structure on the property burned.
- Resolution 25‑176 (urging increased enforcement and public awareness of Hawaii’s helmet laws): Adopted.
- Appointments: Resolution 25‑175 (appointment of Joseph Kepa as Hawaiian language communications specialist) and Resolutions 25‑182/25‑183 (appointments to civil‑service seats) were approved and transmitted as required.

Meeting context and next steps: Several items passed on first reading and will return for additional readings or for implementation steps (e.g., plan updates, grant agreements, referrals to planning or other committees). The Lahaina rezoning referral begins the commission review process; council members noted funding time limits tied to recovery grants and urged expedited review.

The council closed after a brief series of district notices and member reports.