WAILUKU - Bureaucrats reviewing routine plumbing and electrical permits won't have to consult the Countywide Policy Plan, but County Council members did take steps Thursday to better define what kind of permits will.
Members of the council's Planning Committee voted to keep a sentence in the plan that says it doesn't need to be applied to the county's review of "ministerial permits." They added language to clarify that only permits that involve no use of a county official's personal judgment or discretion would be exempt.
Earlier in the council's review of the plan, some people raised concerns about the sentence, saying it could be a loophole for county officials to disregard the plan.
But Planning Director Jeff Hunt said Thursday that expecting county bureaucrats to consult the 400-plus policies in the Countywide Policy Plan for every permit they review would bring the system to a halt.
Permits for things like temporary signs, plumbing and even drivers' licenses don't require the county worker to make a personal judgement, but only to check that the facts of the application meet a fixed set of criteria, Hunt said.
In contrast, things like zoning changes, special management area permits and project districts require the official to use his or her discretion and judgment to make a decision. Those kinds of permits would continue to require review of the Countywide Policy Plan.
Council Member Gladys Baisa said she was glad to have the issue clarified.
"I think what's bothering most of us is the definition of 'ministerial,' " she said.
But Council Member Mike Molina said he felt defining the term too narrowly could create more confusion. He cast the lone vote against the change.
"I liked the original language," he said after the meeting.
Committee members voted 4-2 to return the Countywide Policy Plan to the full council for approval on second and final reading, with Molina and Council Member Mike Victorino voting "no." Council Member Wayne Nishiki was excused, and Council Members Danny Mateo and Joe Pontanilla are not members of the committee.
Also this week, the Planning Committee continued its review of the Maui Island Plan, and will continue its discussion of policies on economic development.
Among other actions, the committee on Wednesday approved a policy calling for the county to "strive" for 85 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the county to be grown in Hawaii.
That was softer language than an earlier draft that called for the county to "ensure" a high percentage of food was locally grown.
"I think it's still a lofty goal," Victorino said.
Council members also approved a policy calling for the county to encourage the cultivation of sugar cane or other agricultural crops in Central Maui - although they expanded the policy to include all of Maui County.
Hunt said the policy reflected a desire to keep the central valley green.
"If sugar goes under and isn't replaced by another agricultural crop, we could have a dust bowl," he said.
The committee also previously massaged language in the plan for policies related to the visitor industry.
A policy calling for the county to "limit and manage future visitor unit expansion" was softened to, "comprehensively manage visitor unit expansion."
Committee members also changed a policy that had called for the county to "minimize negative impacts" of resorts and vacation properties on residential areas and public facilities to read: "manage impacts."
The committee is expected to continue its review of the plan's policies on housing when it resumes meeting on the Maui Island Plan after the council's budget sessions.
* Ilima Loomis can be reached at iloomis@mauinews.com.
* This article includes a correction from the original published on Saturday, March 6, 2010. It incorrectly stated the Maui County Council Planning Committee had completed discussing the section of the Maui Island Plan's chapter on economic development. The Maui News apologizes for the error.
