NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION

NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 at 6:00 P.M.
Kapālama Hale – Room 153
925 Dillingham Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96817
HYBRID MEETING VIA WEBEX

Meeting Link: https://cchnl.webex.com/cchnl/j.php?MTID=m533b588483fdd248d9d115a0a6ef21b5
Meeting Number / Access Code: 2485 548 7512
Password: NC00 (6200 from phones and video systems)
Join by Phone: +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll

MEETING POLICIES – Adopted July 25, 2023

Recordings of Board meetings can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/@NeighborhoodCommissionOffice

Meeting Materials can be found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LS8mfBOkIKp5hqr6Fwr5Kn1HCYCURUu0

Rules of Speaking: Anyone wishing to speak is asked to raise his or her hand, and when recognized by the Chair, to address comments to the Chair. Speakers are to keep their comments under two (2) minutes. Public testimony taken on each agenda item. Please silence all electronic devices.

Note: The Commission may take action on any agenda item. As required by the State Sunshine Law (Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92), specific issues not noted on this agenda cannot be voted on, unless properly added to the agenda.

I. CALL TO ORDER – Commissioner Chair Larry Veray

A. Time Limit Policy and Procedures

B. All participants are to sign in for in-person and virtual identify yourself to NCO Assistant on WEBEX

C. Roll Call of Neighborhood Commission Committee Members (All committee members must have their video turned on)

II. APPROVAL OF COMMITTEE MINUTES

A. Monday, July 21, 2025 Written Summary for Video Record

III. NEW COMMITTEE BUSINESS

A. Reappointment of Neighborhood Commission, Neighborhood Plan Committee, Neighborhood Board members and others: Chairman Larry Veray; Members: Mehealani Bernal, Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui, Christian Quevedo, Lloyd Yonenaka, Patrick Smith (Exoficio)

B. Recent Neighborhood Board concerns questioning; why can’t a board member ask and add information to resident testimony during Public Concerns on the agenda?. Committee discussion item that could potentially be detailed in the revision of the Neighborhood Plan with what is authorized and unauthorized questions.

C. Recent Neighborhood Board Concerns about important items posted virtually by meeting participants is not being noted in the board minutes. Who should be capturing important details to be included in the board minutes?

D. Committee to review previous Chapter 13 of the Neighborhood Plan and determine if any changes or updates are required for Powers, Duties, and Functions of Neighborhood Boards

1. §3-13-101 Purpose
2. §3-13-102 General Powers, Duties and functions of boards
3. §3-13-103 Political Activity
4. §3-13-104 Standards of Conduct
5. §3-13-105 Conflicts of Interest
6. §3-13-106 Community Forum limitations
7. §3-13-107 Representative capacity of board members
8. §3-13-108 Membership
9. §3-13-109 Concurrent holding of elective public office prohibition

IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS

A. Next meeting of the Neighborhood Commission scheduled for Monday, September 22, 2025 at 6:00 P.M on Webex, and at Kapālama Hale First Floor Conference Room 153.

B. Next Neighborhood Plan Committee meeting scheduled for October 20, 2025 at 6:00 P.M. on Webex, and at Kapālama Hale First Floor Conference Room 153.

V. ADJOURNMENT

A mailing list is maintained for interested persons and agencies to receive this board’s agenda and minutes. Additions, corrections, and deletions to the mailing list may be directed to the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO) at Kapālama Hale, 925 Dillingham Boulevard, Suite 160, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96817, by telephone on (808) 768-3710, fax (808) 768-3711, or e-mailing nco@honolulu.gov. Agenda documents and minutes are also available online at http://www.honolulu.gov/nco/ boards.html

All written testimony must be received in the Neighborhood Commission Office 48 hours prior to the meeting. If within 48 hours of the meeting, written and/or oral testimony may be submitted directly to the Board at the meeting. If submitting written testimony, please note the Board and agenda item(s) your testimony concerns. Send to: Neighborhood Commission Office, 925 Dillingham Boulevard, Suite 160, Honolulu, HI 96817, fax (808) 768-3711, or email nbtestimony@honolulu.gov.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability or an interpreter for a language other than English, please call the Neighborhood Commission Office at (808) 768-3710 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or send an email to nco@honolulu.gov at least three (3) business days before the scheduled meeting. It may not be possible to fulfill requests received after this date.

DRAFT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN COMMITTEE MEETING WRITTEN SUMMARY FOR VIDEO RECORD
MONDAY, JULY 21, 2025 – 6:00 P.M.
KAPĀLAMA HALE CONFERENCE ROOM 153 – 925 DILLINGHAM BOULEVARD, HONOLULU, HI 96817
AND VIA WEBEX TELECONFERENCING

Video recording of this meeting can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg3HqPGbWU8

Meeting materials can be found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LS8mfBOkIKp5hqr6Fwr5Kn1HCYCURUu0

I. CALL TO ORDER – [0:00:04]: Committee Chair Smith called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m.

Committee Members Present: Mahealani Bernal, Richard Oshiro, and Patrick Smith, Larry Veray, and Lloyd Yonenaka.

Committee Members Absent: Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui and Steven Melendrez.

Guests: Kevin Lye (Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board No.13); Tom Heinrich, Claire Santos, Greg Misakian (Residents); Dylan Whitsell, Travis Saito, and Dylan Buck (Neighborhood Commission Office). There were 12 total participants. Name not included if not legible on sign-in sheet, not signed in and/or not participated in discussion.
II. APPROVAL OF COMMITTEE MINUTES – [0:00:36]
Monday, June 16, 2025 Written Summary for Video Record – [0:00:36]: Hearing no corrections or objections, the June 2025 Written Summary for Video Record was approved as written.
III. NEW BUSINESS – [0:00:56]
Consider written proposal covering the “Complaint Procedures sections (Chapter 18, §§2-18-101 – 105) – modified proposals based on last month’s discussion – [0:00:56]: Committee Chair Smith noted that the latest version of the document was 2025-07 and directed members to review the document on the shared drive.
Review of edits made from last month’s meeting – [0:01:31]: Committee Chair Smith reviewed the highlighted edits in the document, noting that yellow highlights indicated items added after the agenda deadline. Kevin Lye reported difficulty accessing the folder through the meeting agenda link.
§2-18-101(d)(2) – addition of allowing Complaint to not alter original complaint & addition of 10 days period for submission of defect correction – [0:04:46]: Committee Chair Smith explained this edit allows the complainant to not alter the original complaint and adds a ten-day period for submission of defect correction. Committee Chair Smith noted a grammatical error in the language that needed correction.
§2-18-101(e) – relocated from former §2-18-101(h) for better flow – [0:08:52]: Committee Chair Smith noted this was simply a reorganization of existing language for better flow.
§2-18-101(g)(2) – added “facilitator” language – [0:09:11]: Committee Chair Smith explained the addition of the term “facilitator” to designate the person managing the meeting and submitting the report.
§2-18-101(g)(2) – deleted respondent response language as redundant (see §2-18-101(e)) – [0:09:44]: Committee Chair Smith noted this language was deleted as it was already covered elsewhere in the document.
§2-18-101(g)(3) – added deadline for submission of report – [0:10:00]: Committee Chair Smith explained the addition of a ten-business day deadline for the facilitator to submit their report.
§2-18-101(g)(3) – added allowance for Respondent to submit objections – [0:10:22]: Committee Chair Smith explained this addition gives respondents the opportunity to submit objections to the facilitator’s report. Kevin Lye asked if there would be language requiring the commission to review these objections. Committee Chair suggested addressing this during the overall review.
§2-18-101(h) – added to manage Mediation process – [0:13:58]: Extensive discussion followed regarding the mediation process. Oshiro noted that mediators typically don’t produce formal reports, and several members expressed concerns about the complexity of the mediation option. After discussion, the Committee agreed to remove the mediation option (C15) and strike paragraph H.
§2-18-101(l) – review “mail and email” requirement. Consider only one option required – [0:36:22]: The committee discussed the current language requiring both first-class mail and email notification, with email preferred. Dylan Whitsell explained the intent was to allow people to opt out of physical mail. Tom Heinrich suggested reviewing recent legislative actions regarding electronic communication preferences. Kevin Lye noted that the Office of Information Practices (OIP) has required cancellation of meetings due to lack of timely mailing of materials. The committee agreed to table this item for further research.
Review of Complaints from each option of §2-18-101(c) – [0:45:42]: Committee Chair Smith presented a chart showing the complaint management process up to commission review, explaining the different options available to the Executive Secretary and Commission Chair. The committee noted that the mediation option (number five) would be removed.
Any other general questions, concerns or issues with any of the provisions of Chapter 18 – [0:46:43]:
• 10-Day Filing Period – [0:46:43]: Greg Misakian expressed concerns about the ten-day filing period for complaints, arguing it was insufficient compared to the previous 45-day period. Committee Chair Smith clarified it was ten business days and explained the committee’s decision was made to expedite the complaint process. Oshiro added that the shorter timeframe was intended to address complaints about the process taking too long.
• Sunshine Law Complaints – [1:03:52]: Chair explained this section directs Sunshine Law complaints to OIP while requiring notification to the NCO. Kevin Lye asked for clarification on whether the Commission could still review Neighborhood Plan violations that might also relate to Sunshine Law issues. Dylan Whitsell explained that the Commission can interpret the plan but cannot make determinations about Sunshine Law violations.
• Notice of Remediation – [1:20:04]: Dylan Buck explained this addition provides a way to quickly address obvious procedural mistakes without going through the entire complaint process. The committee accepted this addition.
• Section 104, Item 3 (Absences) – [1:22:35]: The committee discussed whether suspensions should count against absences. After discussion, the committee agreed that suspensions should count toward absences, requiring removal of the word “not” from the current language.
• Article vs. Chapter Reference – [1:33:42]: Tom Heinrich noted a technical issue regarding the reference to “article” versus “chapter” in the document, explaining that chapters 12-20 constitute the neighborhood plan while chapter 11 contains the rules for the commission.
Discussion of how to proceed with review process. May include approving draft of Chapter 18 provisions, incorporating any modifications made at this meeting – [1:38:40]: The committee discussed presenting their proposal to the Neighborhood Commission at the next meeting for review. If the proposal is formally adopted by the Neighborhood Commission, there would be at least 2 public hearings scheduled.
[1:44:09] – Veray MOVED and Yonenaka SECONDED to report the full proposal to the Neighborhood Commission. Hearing no objections, the motion was ADOPTED; 5-0-0 (Aye: Bernal, Oshiro, Smith, Veray, Yonenaka; Nay: None; Abstain: None) – [1:45:00]
IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS – [1:48:08]
Next Meeting of the Neighborhood Commission – [1:48:08]: The next Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. on Webex and at Kapālama Hale First Floor Conference Room 153. The committee will present the proposal with a flowchart presentation.
Next Committee Meeting – [1:48:08]: The next committee meeting will be determined based on the commission’s review of the proposal.
V. ADJOURNMENT – [1:49:06]: As there was no further business, Committee Chair Smith adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m.
Submitted by: Dylan Buck, Community Relations Specialist, NCO
Reviewed by: Dylan Whitsell, Deputy, NCO
Final Review by:

To view agenda and minutes, visit our board website.

Event shows physical location; however, other options of participation may also include WebEx and phone.  If available, instructions for WebEx and phone can be found at the top of the agenda.