A charter amendment which proponents hope will give residents and the county more of a say and control over water and its resources is headed for the general election ballot in November.

At its recessed meeting Monday, the Maui County Council voted to place on the ballot a proposed charter amendment to establish Maui County Community Water Authorities and an East Maui Regional Community Board.

Those in favor of the resolution were Council Members Shane Sinenci, Mike Molina, Kelly Takaya King, Gabe Johnson, Tamara Paltin, Tasha Kama and Council Vice Chairwoman Keani Rawlins-Fernandez. Those against were Council Chairwoman Alice Lee and Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura.

An earlier proposal called for the new entity to be called the Maui Nui Community Water Systems but was amended Monday as the Maui County Community Water Authorities to reflect its affiliation with the county.

The aim is for the authorities to seek a long-term water lease for the Nahiku, Keanae, Honomanu and Huelo license areas from the state. Currently, East Maui Irrigation Co. is applying for a 30-year-water lease for those East Maui areas. Alexander & Baldwin Inc. and Mahi Pono Holdings both have a 50 percent interest in EMI.

There will be “one or more regional community boards, regional administrators, grant writers, community liaisons, water system technical analysts and necessary staff to manage water collection and delivery systems acquired or operated by the water authorities.”

The first regional board to be set up would be the East Maui Regional Community Board whose focus would be on the Nahiku, Keanae, Honomanu and Huelo license areas. Other regional boards could also be established.

Instead of the mayor picking the head of the water systems, the regional community boards would select the administrator who would respond to the boards.

On Friday, Deputy Water Director Shayne Agawa asked members to hold off on the proposal until a feasibility study of the EMI water system could be done, so questions could be answered such as system costs and other issues.

He and the department were also concerned about how the authorities and community boards would be funded and if it would impact DWS customers’ rates. Agawa compared approving the amendment to purchasing a car — or in this case acquiring the EMI water system — while not having a cost or a monthly payment.

He also pointed to issues with staffing and where the authorities would get qualified employees who would be in direct competition with DWS for staff.

But former Maui County Board of Water Supply Chairwoman Shay Chan Hodges said the amendment would not have the county purchase the system but rather acquire the state water lease.

She said on Monday that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources would not charge a county entity for the lease, so it would come at no cost to obtain.

Hodges said uncertainty will remain over how much Maui County would be charged for water if Mahi Pono acquires and continues to maintaining the lease in East Maui. But that could be taken away if the county took over the lease.

Another charter amendment that the council approved on second and final reading would ask voters if a county policy should be established to promote climate change adaptation, including the implementation of guidelines to allow telework and alternative work schedules for certain county employees.

The council disapproved another charter amendment that would have sought to establish planning commissions for all community plan areas on Maui and dissolve the Maui Planning Commission. Council members supporting the resolution said people who live in each of the community plan areas should make decisions over planning and development matters and that some have felt underrepresented with the general overlook of the Maui Planning Commission. But council members who opposed it raised issues including confusion over another charter amendment on the ballot relating to planning commissions that was put forth by the Charter Commission.

In other matters:

• Council members voted to refer back to committee a bill that would establish a new method of determining the sales price of an affordable dwelling unit to include the total housing costs associated with homeownership such as principal, interest, taxes, homeowner’s insurance, private mortgage insurance and homeowner’s association dues. Testifiers and some council members expressed interest in getting additional input on the matter to avoid unintended consequences.

• Council members voted to refer back to committee a bill to protect seabirds from outdoor lighting. They said they wanted to bring the bill back to committee to allow more input and to work out issues in committee rather than at the council level.

• Council Member Paltin pulled back her resolution to authorize proceedings in eminent domain to acquire a large controversial home in Napili for a public building for a Hawaiian cultural education and other public purposes. Paltin noted the public testimony in which residents said they did not want the county to use its money to purchase the home through eminent domain, which they felt would reward the home’s owner. The resolution was filed.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.