On March 24, Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth delivered his 2022 State of the County Address.

During his address he thanked the people of Big Island and noted the Countyʻs accomplishments during the unprecedented times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Roth said, “When we took office in late 2020, we knew that our administration would be up against one of the toughest challenges our County had ever faced At the time, the world and our island was in the grips of a growing global pandemic, and uncertainty for our residents, small businesses, and local industries was at an all-time high It was clear that we would have to do everything in our power to keep our people working, businesses from closing, and our island’s economy from shutting down, as it did months prior.”

Mayor Roth also spoke about the strides the County has made and is planning to make in the areas of housing, infrastructure, Kīlauea Recovery, mass transit, public safety and sustainability.

Below is a list of points Mayor Roth highlighted during his address:

COVID-19

• $125,598,396 in grants, government reimbursement funds, and county dollars went to secure ports of entry, amplify community testing, and launch wide-scale vaccination efforts when vaccines became readily available
• Vaccinated 148,870 individuals, administered over 439,375 COVID tests, and caught 18,828 positive cases
• Gave $22 million directly to small businesses islandwide through the Holomua Grant Program.
• $13,992,616 was distributed in emergency rental assistance, supporting 1,866 local families and an additional $4,926,571 in rental assistance by the beginning of summer, for a cumulative total of $18,919,187 in rental relief.

HOUSING

Roth said there were 1,243 affordable housing units in the pipeline when he took office and now there are currently 5,509 total affordable housing units in the pipeline and an additional 4,266 affordable housing units, making up 35 active projects, 292 of them are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

BUILDING/Electronic Processing and Information Center (EPIC)

• In 2020; an average of 269.75 permits were issued monthly, in 2021, 296 permits were issued per month and thus far in 2022, 529 monthly permits were issued.  The County hopes to issue over 7,000 permits in 2022 and by the end of year, it hopes to see no more than a 6-week wait time in permit review, response, and issuance

INFRASTRUCTURE

Completed an Ali’i Drive Culvert replacement as well as Henry Street and Kilauea Avenue rehabilitation projects, created a Makea Temporary Bridge, paved Paniolo Avenue, and completed rock wall repairs near Kealoha Beach Park. By the end of 2022, the County hopes to complete Kalanianaole Avenue reconstruction, Waianuenue Avenue rehabilitation, as well as an additional 28 miles of much-needed paving maintenance

KĪLAUEA RECOVERY

• County launched the Voluntary Housing Buyout Assistance program with $107 million in federal funding to help serve nearly 500 property owners who lost their homes.
• Made the decision to restore Highway 137 and Pohoiki Road, as well as to restore water lines for both, including bringing water back to Pohoiki

WATER

• Added 428 projects to the Department of Water Supply pipeline.

PONC

• On August 13, 2021, the County’s Property Management Division successfully closed escrow for fee simple purchase of the area commonly known as Kapanaiʻa Bay in North Kohala
• On October 12, 2021, Property Management Division successfully closed escrow for a conservation easement purchase of Kaunamano in Kaʻū
• On December 17, 2021, Property Management Division successfully closed escrow for fee simple purchase of Waiʻele in Puna

R&D

• Awarded $500,000 in a phase 1 grant from the US Dept of Commerce Economic Development Administration.
• $500,000 in current budget for grant writers in the coming fiscal year

PARKS

• Completed ADA projects at Hilo Bayfront, Pana‘ewa Zoo, and Wong Stadium
• Projects to be completed include – Maintenance projects at Disappearing Sands and Miloli‘i
• Continued construction projects include: Pa‘auilo, Pāpa‘aloa, Kolekole, Kahuku, Nā‘ālehu, Pāhala Park

MASS TRANSIT

• Service is now free for the next two years
• County Partnered with varying taxi companies to create a shared-ride taxi program in the Hilo area for travel up to nine miles on three cab companies, six days a week as a supplement to for those who live outside the Hele-On fixed and flex routes and expanded that program to add Uber and Lyft for additional transportation and start a new vanpool program for commuters who want to commute to work with others and create their own schedule, with Hele-On subsidizing up to $500.00 per van
• Over $20 million in grants to replace the entire Hele-On fleet

PUBLIC SAFETY

• Secured 2 Big-Dog wildland fire response vehicles, two brush trucks, two water rescue crafts, and purchased a replacement for Chopper 2
• Hired 34 firefighters within the last year to help narrow the gap of vacancies and additionally secured 9 critical leadership positions through the SAFER Grant over $3.5 million
• Increased neighborhood police presence in response to community concerns
• Increased Ag theft awareness and arrests.
• Called for the immediate apprehension of criminals involved in high profile crimes, property and crime against persons, and increased response and attention to runaway cases within East Hawaiʻi

SUSTAINABILITY

• 80 days into office, the County hosted the first-ever Hawaiʻi County Sustainability Summit which received 20,000 views during the online TEDxCounty of Hawaiʻi event
• In 2022, the County will host a second summit that will focus on policy and collective advocacy to address the growing and insurmountable challenges the County faces in terms of sustainable action.

In addition, Mayor Roth said  the County will be releasing phase 1 a of a new app called Kāhea, which is aimed at helping to inform and empower the Community through relevant, concise, and clear information. The app will roll out in phases, with phase two projected to be completed by early 2023

Mayor Roth closed his address by saying, “We are committed to this island, its people, and the cultural and environmental aspects that make this island the best place to live in the world Our future is bright, and if we can all keep in mind how our actions impact the next generation and their ability to live, grow, and raise a family here, then I am confident that we will succeed in creating a vibrant and thriving Hawaii Island for us all Mahalo for this opportunity to serve you and your ohanas We look forward to a year of learning, growth, and, most importantly, action.”