Alongside Maui County Council chair Alice Lee (left) and council member Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura (right), Mayor Richard Bissen signs an approximately $1.56 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 into law on Tuesday. Photo Courtesy Maui County

Maui County’s $1.56 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 will take effect July 1 after Mayor Richard Bissen signed the document into law Tuesday.

Bissen was joined at the signing by Maui County Council chair Alice Lee and council member Yuki Lei Sugimura, who chairs the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee.

According to the mayor’s office, the budget addresses three core priorities — housing for kamaʻāina, recovery and well-being, and the protection of cultural and natural resources.

The budget was unanimously passed by Maui County Council on Friday.

In response to the budget’s passage, Bissen thanked residents and acknowledged the commitment from the Maui County Council members and county staff who contributed to the budget, which runs through June 30, 2026.

“With the council’s approval of this year’s budget, built on the theme of kahua, or foundation, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to care for our people, protect our ʻāina, and honor our culture and history,” Bissen said. “This past year brought immense challenges, but through strong partnerships with the Council and our community, we have stood together in service to Maui County. I am grateful for the unity, resilience, and aloha that continue to move us forward.”

The budget for the county’s operating budget is about $46 million more than what Bissen proposed in March after the County Council made some adjustments.

The budget includes approximately $47 million in funding for the Affordable Housing Fund for projects including a $7.2 million loan for the Kaiaulu O Lānaʻi affordable housing project and $25 million for the Lipoa Apartments affordable housing project in Kīhei.

There is also $10 million in funding for infrastructure supporting affordable housing on Lānaʻi and other infrastructure housing projects such as the Waiʻale Road Extension.

The budget also continues to support the Department of Housing and the First Time Homebuyers, the ʻOhana Assistance and the Experimental and Demonstration Housing programs.

The budget also includes $12 million for the Maui United Way’s ALICE Initiative for Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed residents, including a Kamaʻāina Credit program, which will help households pay for rent, gas, health care, groceries and other essentials.

The county is also moving forward with a safe parking program to provide a secure environment for residents living in their vehicles and continued funding for nonprofit organizations that offer services in health, human services, education, youth programs, senior support, food security, safety, culture and the arts.

To protect cultural and natural resources, the budget supports watershed management through grants to nonprofits and exploring potential well sites across the county.

The county is also collaborating with the Māʻalaea Village Association to begin work on a regional wastewater system to reduce reliance on injection wells in an effort to address failing wastewater infrastructure in Māʻalaea Bay.

The approved budget also continues to fund for grants for agriculture, animal management, ʻŌiwi Resources and recycling and green initiatives.