How it works
How to testify to the County Council
You do not need to be an expert. You do not need to write much. And you do not need to drive to Hilo.
Updated October 8, 2026
Testimony for Bill 186 & 187 (Applicant: Waikōloa Green LLC)
The County Council is deciding whether to reclassify land next to the Village for a large new development. On October 6, the Land Use and Agriculture Committee recommended against both bills. They now go to the full Council for a first vote on Wednesday, October 21, at 9:00 AM at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center in Kailua-Kona. Written testimony and Zoom registration are due by noon on Tuesday, October 20.
We are not against housing. We believe approval should wait until there are real, funded commitments, with a timeline, for the infrastructure that keeps residents safe during a wildfire. That begins with the second access road the County itself named a priority. It also means confirming that the water system can fight a fire during an emergency and that our children can get out safely, before the Village grows further.
New to this issue, or want to pass it along to a neighbor? Our Waikōloa Green page explains what’s proposed, what’s at stake, and how to share your views with the Council.
The Current Ask
Ways to Submit Testimony
Pick whichever fits the time you have. All three go into the permanent public record.
Written Testimony by Email
Takes about 15 minutes
Send your testimony to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov
Deadline: before 12:00 noon on the business day before the meeting.
Send separate testimony for each agenda item. One email per item.
You can also fax to (808) 961-8912 or mail to the Office of the County Clerk, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
Oral testimony over Zoom
About 30 minutes, including the wait
You get three minutes per agenda item.
Register ahead by emailing councilremotetestimony@hawaiicounty.gov or calling (808) 961-8255. You need to register by 12:00 noon on the business day before the meeting to get the login details.
Testimony is taken at the start of the meeting or right before your item comes up, so expect to wait a bit.
Oral testimony in person
Council and Committee meetings happen in Hilo and Kona. But the County runs courtesy video conference sites so you can take part in person without crossing the island, and the closest one to Waikōloa is the District 9 Council Office in Waimea.
Waimea District 9 Council Office
65-1279 Kawaihae Road, Suite 109
Kamuela, HI 96743
That is about twenty minutes from the Village.
You get three minutes per agenda item, same as the Zoom testimony. Head to the Waimea District 9 office, or in Hilo or Kona if you happen to be over there. This method of testimony is the most impactful.
Other Details
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Send it anyway.
Late written testimony still gets scanned during the meeting and entered into the permanent public record. Council members will not have it in front of them beforehand, which is the whole reason the deadline exists, but late is not the same as useless.
Everything received goes into the record. Yours will sit there permanently, with your name on it, for anyone who looks back at what this community asked for and when.
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Agendas go up on the County website under Council Records, usually about a week ahead. Meetings run roughly twice a month.
Realistically, nobody is checking a county calendar every week. That is our job. Get on our newsletter list and we will tell you when something that affects Waikōloa lands on the agenda, what it actually does, and when the deadline is.
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We usually provide a template when we are asking for testimony on something specific, and you are welcome to use it. Copy it, add a sentence or two of your own, and send it. That takes about three minutes and it counts.
But if you have five more minutes, the personal part is the part that does the work. Council members read plenty of polished advocacy. What they do not get much of is a neighbor telling them plainly what this looks like from here.
Say where you live. Waikōloa Village. That is the whole credential you need.
Say what you want in one sentence, near the top. They may not read to the bottom.
Tell them something only you can tell them. Where you were during the 2021 evacuation. How long you sat in that traffic. What it is like to look at the one road out with your kids in the back seat. No consultant's report contains that.
Keep it short. Half a page is fine. A full page is plenty. Nobody was ever ignored for being brief.
You do not have to be angry. Clear beats loud.
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Everything we have filed is posted publicly, including the pieces that did not get us what we wanted. Read them. Borrow whatever framing fits. Ignore the rest.