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FRIDAY, May 19 Eaton County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution calling on the county prosecutor and sheriff not to enforce unconstitutional gun laws.

This board strongly encourages their utmost discretion in the exercise of their duties in enforcing any statute, law, rule, order, or regulation that is contrary to the rights established by The Constitution of the United States of America and the State of Michigan Constitution, the resolution, offered by Republican Commissioner Brian Droscha of Charlotte, said.

The measure passed 8-7, with all the boards Republicans favoring it and all its Democrats voting against it. Prosecutor Douglas R. Lloyd, a Republican, and Sheriff Tom Reich, a Democrat, were not immediately available for comment.

Screenshots of the two-page resolution appear below. This is page one of the resolution.

Democratic Commissioner Jacob Toomey, a Michigan State University student from Dimondale, noted in the debate that the resolution is unenforceable to begin with, and you're actively asking our employees and other elected officials to break the Michigan law, which is a terrible precedent, and we should have no business doing what you're explicitly calling for.

Toomey also took a swing at conservative commissioners who rejected his resolution after the mass shooting at MSU on Feb. 13 that called for support for those impacted and for the Legislature to adopt more funding for mental health care and stricter gun laws. Droscha led the opposition to Toomey, which lost 8-7.

Droscha told City Pulse that he opposed the February resolution because it was unconstitutional and would result in communism.

The goal of communism, if you dont know your history, is to disarm people and take away their freedom of speech, Droscha said.

At Wednesdays board meeting, Toomey reminded opponents of the February resolution because they contended that it is not the county's business to even touch those issues.

So, I think it would be purely hypocritical if any of you were to vote in favor of this.

Republican Frank Holmes of Springport, said, It's not the gun. It's the person and we should not be trying to take away rights under the U.S and Michigan constitutions by making laws that contradict the Constitution.

Under Wednesdays resolution, any agency in the county that works to enforce Michigan or federal gun restrictions could face financial penalties.

The Board will not authorize or appropriate new funds, resources, employees, contractors, buildings, detention centers or offices for the sole purposes of enforcing any statute, law, rule, order, or regulation that restricts the rights of any law-abiding citizen affirmed by the Second Amendment or Article 1, Section 6, of the Michigan Constitution, nor be used to aid any state or federal agency in infringing or restricting such rights, the resolution reads.

Democrat Commissioner Terrance Augustine of Grand Ledge, opposed the resolution. Telling our staff to not follow state law regardless of your opinions of said state law is just going to create confusion and is not a precedent that we want to set.

The resolution declared the county a constitutional county. At least two other Michigan counties have officially declared themselves constitutional counties , Livingston and Tuscola. The idea of a constitutional county is a relatively new construct by Second Amendment advocates to undercut laws in place to address increased gun violence.

The resolution, which Droscha said was written by "someone else," explains the idea of a constitutional county as a place of refuge for the law-abiding citizen in regards to the citizens rights under The Constitution of the United States of America and Michigan Constitution including but not limited to the Second Amendment right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Toomey said, The Michigan Supreme Court exists for a reason. It is not the job or the obligation of this body in this room to delegate what is and what is not constitutional. That is the job of the Michigan Supreme Court, and we are overstepping our bounds as a body if we vote Yes on this.

Replied Droscha, It is not the Supreme Court's position to debate constitutionality, it is a Supreme Court's position to uphold our Constitution. The U.S Constitution is not controlled by the court. The court is controlled by the Constitution.

He went on to attack so-called red flag laws recently enacted by the Legislature. The law allows individuals to petition a court to remove firearms from the possession of persons who are a threat to themselves or others. Droscha said that legislation made a person guilty and required them to prove they were innocent, a flip on the usual legal construct of innocent until proven guilty.

Perhaps ironically, the next order of business for the body was to approve a resolution recognizing Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community. That resolution passed 8 to 7. Blake Mulder of Grand Ledge was the only Republican to join the Democrats in passing it.

As a Christian I'm a firm believer the Bible tells me that Jesus tells me to love my neighbors and I have no reason why I wouldn't love any people that this is discussing, Mulder said. So, I and have no reason to oppose this.

This is the first time the Eaton County board has honored Pride Month.

Some commissioners said they were voting no because of their Christian faith and reliance on biblical principles.

My biblical beliefs affirm that because of what the Bible says about the legislation that's been taking place here in our country, said Republican Scott Hansen of Charlotte, referring to pro-LGBTQ+ measures. We know that all men are sinners and have come short of God's glory and I feel that this only is a cultural thing that's been taking place.

Toomey rebutted, I've been going to church since I was a child and my God loves all people so I'll be in support of this resolution tonight, he said.

Holmes accused the resolution of being part of a larger agenda by the LGBTQ community.

He also noted he would be unable to explain to his nearly 7,000 constituents why he supported such a resolution.

I'm here to represent people. It's not just my beliefs I have to think about, and I haven't run into anybody in my district talking with them who would want me promoting this, he said.

Said Droscha, I have never had anybody call me and say, Hey the LGBT community has got something coming up in June. We want you to support it.

Second Amendment stuff trust me, I've gotten calls.

The following video is the debate on both the 'Constitutional County' and Pride Month resolutions reviewed and approved by the Eaton County Commission this week. It is just a portion of the entire board meeting and was provided by Eaton County.

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Eaton County passes measure instructing officials not to enforce gun ... - City Pulse

Earlier this month the Ohio Republican Party central committee met in a downtown Columbus ballroom. The state party has a lot to celebrate. Republicans across the country underwhelmed in 2022, but not in Ohio. The GOP carried the big-ticket statewide races, won every state supreme court race and two ballot measures.

But the prevailing mood was a cocktail of triumphalism, frustration, and fear. Plenty of committee members took a victory lap, but their boasts were often framed as a warning.

Weve changed this state from purple to red, David Glass said as he cautioned fellow members that a right to work platform would threaten that success.

Echoing Glass, LeeAnn Johnson, wife of Congressman Bill Johnson, described moving to a solid blue Mahoning County in 2006.

I have watched this region turn slowly into a very red, very Republican, very pro-Trump district, she argued. And we have had so much support from the trades from the unions and placing this plank in our platform is going to ostracize the very people that worked hard to get President Trump elected in Ohio.

On a state supreme court endorsement proposal one member insisted, we must endorse today, we absolutely have to. Even the primary election in that race is still a year out. But other members justified the urgency by warning that Democrats who they handily defeated about six months ago are already campaigning.

That sense of precariousness that Republicans success rests on a knifes edge may reveal a lot about the supermajority ballot measure likely headed for the August ballot.

An abortion rights amendment might go to voters in November. But rather than fight that on the merits, Republicans are doing it the hard way forcing a debate over how to amend the constitution that threatens to alienate traditional allies and drive a wedge further into the partys Statehouse supermajority.

Last week the Ohio House advanced SJR 2, clearing the way for a ballot measure asking voters whether it should take 60% support for future constitutional amendments to pass. On the House floor, Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, attempted to maintain the fig leaf that his effort is issue-neutral.

However, when Stewart first introduced the proposal last year, in a memo to fellow lawmakers he cited only two issues for them to support the move: stopping an abortion rights amendment and preventing further anti-gerrymandering reform. Moreover, its become increasingly clear from lawmakers, from interest groups and from central committee members that the ballot measure is a way to handicap the abortion rights amendment.

Abortion-rights amendments were passed in 2022 by voters in Kentucky with 52.3%, Montana with 52.5%, Michigan with 56.6%, and Kansas with 59%.

Ohio lawmakers first tried to get the matter on the May primary ballot. The last time the general assembly sent a measure to voters in an odd year primary was 1973. A handful of organizations offered support, but it was conspicuously lukewarm. Ironically, the only organization to show up for legislation meant to fight out of state special interests, was the Florida-based special interest group Opportunity Solutions Project.

In the most recent effort, more conservative organizations came out of the woodwork, but the issue clearly remained a minefield.

As hearings began, Ohio Chamber of Commerce president Steve Stivers was reticent to embrace the effort. Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups like the Center for Christian Virtue and Ohio Right to Life spoke out forcefully in favor of the plan making specious anti-trans arguments and invoking parents rights.

After passage, the Chamber joined the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Ohio Restaurant Association in a statement expressing their support. Still, they were at pains to clarify their focus on business issues rather than social ones.

For far too long, the Ohio Constitution has been an easy target for those seeking to enact anti-business policies or further narrow special interest initiatives outside of the traditional legislative process, they wrote.

Around the same time the Chambers board voted to remain officially neutral on the abortion rights amendment. In a text message, Stivers insisted we dont take positions on social issues.

But while the Chamber and other groups attempted to parse their support, the rhetoric was too heated for the Ohio Business Roundtable, and the organization refused to take a position.

Based on the timing of this effort, we believe the initiative has become entwined with social issues, its statement read. The Ohio Business Roundtable does not get involved in social issues.

The American Policy Roundtable is unequivocal when it comes to abortion.

A near fifty-year battle entered the second round on July 24th, the group wrote after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Life and the rule of law finally won the first round. Now by Gods grace we must together fight and win the next.

Still, APR vice president Rob Walgate bluntly dismissed the supermajority amendment as a power grab. From the first attempt at putting the measure on the ballot, APR has been notably outspoken in its opposition.

Growing exasperated, Walgate pointed to the track record of citizen-initiated amendments.

Look at that percentage 19 out of 71, he said. Yet the Republicans tell us this is a major issue thats going to cause major problems? And Im like, 19 out of 71 in 111 years, and all of a sudden, were rushing through a deadline to get it on an August ballot?

Walgate contends the approach is misguided, because the abortion measure Republicans want to defeat is vulnerable.

I think an overwhelming number of Ohioans, a majority of Ohioans, would have rejected that language, he argued. But instead of having that fight, theyve chosen a more difficult fight that will limit Ohioans voices and take away the power of the people.

He argued that strategy is counterproductive. First, Republicans are dividing their efforts. Instead of simply fighting one amendment theyre now also campaigning to approve another. And second, Walgate said, pushing an amendment that undermines direct democracy will breed skepticism.

When this 60% is defeated, it is going to give the left momentum, Walgate said. Theres no doubt about that. Ohioans are going to say, wait a minute, whats going on here? Why are Republicans trying to take away power from the people?

Ralph King sits on the central committee for the Cuyahoga County Republican Party; he also helped found the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots. King unabashedly wants to see the supermajority measure pass, but hes at least a little worried about what the effort has done to the party.

Whether its over Do you want cream in your coffee? King said, anytime you have a five-month fight over something like this, absolutely it hurts the party. It hurts the base. It hurts the way voters as a whole look at the Republican Party.

He blamed the delay on the fight over House Speaker. Specifically, the 22 Republicans who voted with Democrats to give the Rep. Jason Stephens control of the chamber.

King drew a distinction between the supermajority amendment and recent conservative candidates or ballot measures. The latter, he argued, were successful because they brought together a coalition of Republicans, independents and even some Democrats. But he warned the supermajority amendment isnt going to win on the back of a single issue.

Theyre going to need all of us at the ballot box in August because a low turnout may not be good, King said. Were going to need to turn out everybody, so you cant alienate anybody by making it only about one thing.

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis is already attempting to make that broader case. The anti-abortion organization was one of the loudest cheerleaders urging lawmakers to pass SJR 2 and get it on the ballot in August. In committee, their testimony explicitly linked the supermajority amendment with stopping the reproductive rights proposal.

We can debate abortion, but this isnt just about abortion, Gonidakis argued a day before the House approved the measure. This is about our Second Amendment rights, the family farmer, the small business owner. AFL-CIO is in the field right now collecting signatures to do mandatory minimum wage.

Gonidakis acknowledged abortion is the tip of the spear, but insisted this has to do with many fundamental issues, and all were asking the voters of Ohio is what do you want your standards to be?

Any effort to broaden the supermajority amendments appeal is lost on Walgate.

Everyone knows what its all about! Walgate said. Everyone knows what its all about.

Protect Choice Ohio, the organization behind the reproductive rights amendment, certainly had no illusions about lawmakers intent. Dr. Lauren Beene, excoriated the General Assemblys craven political maneuvering, hypocrisy and lies shortly after the vote.

The desperate plot to silence the voters will fail, she added. We are confident Ohioans will defeat the anti-democracy amendment in August, then pass our reproductive freedom amendment this fall.

Despite Republicans recent run of success at the ballot, Gonidakis was quick to bring up Barack Obama and Sherrod Brown, insisting Democrats can be formidable when they have good candidates.

Perhaps abortion presents a similar challenge.

Certainly, Kansas referendum last year demonstrated that even in red states theres a limit to anti-abortion efforts. Voters there soundly rejected an amendment removing a constitutional right to abortion. Notably for Ohio the winning side fell just shy of 60%.

Now, Ohio Republicans are facing a contest in which some of their allies are sitting out entirely, and many of those who are participating feel compelled to attach disclaimers on their support. Its also not entirely clear theyll actually get their question on the August ballot.

Meanwhile their opponents are fielding a coalition that includes organizations like the Fraternal Order of Police that tend to lean rightward. Theyve also picked up the backing of four recent governors and five attorneys general representing both sides of the aisle.

All the sponsors and supporters high-minded arguments notwithstanding, the only reason to hold the vote in August is to harm the reproductive rights amendment. Viewed through that lens, Republicans effort looks less like a concerted effort to protect the constitution, and more like a desperate roll of the dice to forestall a contest they dont think they can win.

Follow OCJ ReporterNick Evans on Twitter.

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Ohio Republicans choose to fight abortion amendment the hard way - Ohio Capital Journal

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore condemned the actions of a man with an AR-15 who started showing up at an Anne Arundel County school bus stop weeks ago.The 11 News I-Team first reported the story on Thursday, after which, the governor didn't mince words, calling the man's actions cowardly and intimidating.The man, J'den McAdory, told the I-Team on Thursday he's protesting the governor's new gun control law. He said he began walking the sidewalks in Severn a few months ago, first with his shotgun strapped to his back, and now, with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in his hands."I grew up in this community," McAdory said. "I'm 20 years old. I've lived here pretty much my whole life. I really want people to understand: I mean no harm to no one."McAdory told the I-Team he has gone out twice a week to remind people of their Second Amendment rights and to protest the governor's new gun control measures, which take effect on Oct. 1."(I'm) just showing people it's legal, spreading a little bit of silent freedom," McAdory said. "Guns can be safe if it's controlled by the right person."Anne Arundel County police said McAdory is permitted to do what he's doing under Maryland law. After the I-Team's reporting on Thursday, the governor's office sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "To stem the tide of gun violence and create safer, stronger communities, we need partnership -- not shallow acts of cowardice and intimidation. Scaring our kids and threatening our communities wont help make Maryland safe. The governor won't allow these tactics to stop his administration from taking common-sense steps to protect our communities. He condemns this behavior and will keep fighting to build a safer Maryland."Man: 'I'm really no threat ... no harm at all'McAdory said he walked up to students at a bus stop Thursday morning to say he's not a threat, telling them," I don't know what the school's been telling you guys, but I'm really no threat to you guys, no harm at all."Video below: Governor responds to man with gun: 'Cowardly'When asked if he could understand how parents and children might be afraid seeing him armed by the bus stop, McAdory told the I-Team: "I do understand. So, I talked to the kids this morning at 7 a.m. right at that bus stop over there with the AR-15.""I'm not an active shooter" he added. "I'm not an active gunman. And, I'm no threat to any children out here."Hours later, the nearby elementary school released a letter to parents advising students who see McAdory to "ask the man to leave" and "walk away from him."Severn Elementary School Principal Isaphine Smith asked parents to report any interactions with the man to the school or to police as soon as possible.Parents express great concernMichael Haley, a parent, told the I-Team that he takes a different route home from school with his three daughters so they don't have to see McAdory by the side of the road."The point's been proven," Haley said. "You've got us all scared."| I-TEAM VIDEO BELOW: 'I guess you're the bowling ball if we're the bowling pins' Haley said what McAdory is doing isn't about rights, it's about decency."If people are uncomfortable with something and you keep throwing it in their face, well then, you end up becoming the jerk in the situation," Haley said.Jamie Sparrow, a father of a Severn Elementary School 6-year-old student, recorded video on Wednesday that he shared with the I-Team, showing a school bus dropping off students on one side of the street while McAdory stood on the other side with his AR-15."Why would anyone need to carry an AR-15 around a bunch of school kids?" Sparrow said.Sparrow said McAdory's Second Amendment rights should not give him license to make parents and kids uncomfortable. Sparrow said he worries about what McAdory might do."If this guy, at any moment, decides he wants to crash, then it's a lot of victims and nobody can do anything about it," Sparrow said. "I hope that he gets the help that he needs so that all of this can stop. Nobody has to lose their lives. Nobody has to get injured or hurt."McAdory told the I-Team on Thursday that he has come to an agreement with the school district that he will no longer protest with his AR-15 during school pickup or drop-off times.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore condemned the actions of a man with an AR-15 who started showing up at an Anne Arundel County school bus stop weeks ago.

The 11 News I-Team first reported the story on Thursday, after which, the governor didn't mince words, calling the man's actions cowardly and intimidating.

The man, J'den McAdory, told the I-Team on Thursday he's protesting the governor's new gun control law. He said he began walking the sidewalks in Severn a few months ago, first with his shotgun strapped to his back, and now, with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in his hands.

"I grew up in this community," McAdory said. "I'm 20 years old. I've lived here pretty much my whole life. I really want people to understand: I mean no harm to no one."

McAdory told the I-Team he has gone out twice a week to remind people of their Second Amendment rights and to protest the governor's new gun control measures, which take effect on Oct. 1.

"(I'm) just showing people it's legal, spreading a little bit of silent freedom," McAdory said. "Guns can be safe if it's controlled by the right person."

Anne Arundel County police said McAdory is permitted to do what he's doing under Maryland law.

After the I-Team's reporting on Thursday, the governor's office sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "To stem the tide of gun violence and create safer, stronger communities, we need partnership -- not shallow acts of cowardice and intimidation. Scaring our kids and threatening our communities wont help make Maryland safe. The governor won't allow these tactics to stop his administration from taking common-sense steps to protect our communities. He condemns this behavior and will keep fighting to build a safer Maryland."

McAdory said he walked up to students at a bus stop Thursday morning to say he's not a threat, telling them," I don't know what the school's been telling you guys, but I'm really no threat to you guys, no harm at all."

Video below: Governor responds to man with gun: 'Cowardly'

When asked if he could understand how parents and children might be afraid seeing him armed by the bus stop, McAdory told the I-Team: "I do understand. So, I talked to the kids this morning at 7 a.m. right at that bus stop over there with the AR-15."

"I'm not an active shooter" he added. "I'm not an active gunman. And, I'm no threat to any children out here."

Hours later, the nearby elementary school released a letter to parents advising students who see McAdory to "ask the man to leave" and "walk away from him."

Severn Elementary School Principal Isaphine Smith asked parents to report any interactions with the man to the school or to police as soon as possible.

Michael Haley, a parent, told the I-Team that he takes a different route home from school with his three daughters so they don't have to see McAdory by the side of the road.

"The point's been proven," Haley said. "You've got us all scared."

| I-TEAM VIDEO BELOW: 'I guess you're the bowling ball if we're the bowling pins'

Haley said what McAdory is doing isn't about rights, it's about decency.

"If people are uncomfortable with something and you keep throwing it in their face, well then, you end up becoming the jerk in the situation," Haley said.

Jamie Sparrow, a father of a Severn Elementary School 6-year-old student, recorded video on Wednesday that he shared with the I-Team, showing a school bus dropping off students on one side of the street while McAdory stood on the other side with his AR-15.

"Why would anyone need to carry an AR-15 around a bunch of school kids?" Sparrow said.

Sparrow said McAdory's Second Amendment rights should not give him license to make parents and kids uncomfortable. Sparrow said he worries about what McAdory might do.

"If this guy, at any moment, decides he wants to crash, then it's a lot of victims and nobody can do anything about it," Sparrow said. "I hope that he gets the help that he needs so that all of this can stop. Nobody has to lose their lives. Nobody has to get injured or hurt."

McAdory told the I-Team on Thursday that he has come to an agreement with the school district that he will no longer protest with his AR-15 during school pickup or drop-off times.

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Governor calls armed man's actions 'cowardly, intimidating' after I-Team report - WBAL TV Baltimore

Back in 1791 in the first months of George Washingtons presidency some disgruntled people in western Pennsylvania organized something that came to be called the Whiskey Rebellion. It was a protest against taxes. The new president, without a standing army, called on militias in four states to confront the protesters. These 12,000 militiamen were too much for the rebels, who soon faded away and Washington survived his first crisis.

That was the definition of the word militia 240 years ago: private citizens, mostly owning their own guns, and organized by the government (regulated).

For about two centuries we lived with that meaning of militia in our US Constitution. Here is how our Second Amendment reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

It all changed in a heartbeat in 2008 when the US Supreme Court decided to reinterpret that amendment. In the case of District of Columbia v. Heller five of the nine justices decided to drop the first 13 words and emphasize the last 14 words: the right to bear arms, NOT for a regulated militia but for individuals.

Lets go deeper into history. When Col. George Rogers Clark of Clarksville was charged with taking an army up into the territories of Indiana and Ohio, he had to raise a militia from the local men who lived here. It was like the sheriff in the Western movies who had to raise a posse from the townsmen to pursue the bad guys. They were virtually untrained and even more undisciplined and no one was surprised that many deserted before they saw their first Shawnee or Delaware. Finally, when confronted by the Native Americans, many of the militiamen broke and ran.

Those days of militiamen with their hunting rifles are long gone. The closest thing we have today to a militia are the state National Guards, who are more akin to being a reserve US Army than they are to a militia.

The other kind of so-called militias are the groups of white-supremacist terrorists who are no more militia than the West New Albany Sewing Club. The leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oathkeepers have just been rightly convicted of attacking our national capitol. Other than the rulings at recent criminal trials, these groups see little regulation from government.

For decades we have had this void in the Second Amendment. What happened is that the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the weapons manufacturers have convinced lawmakers that they alone have the power to read the Constitution the way they want to. For a long time and maybe still today they have had the lobby money and the votes to maintain the status quo.

The result is:

Story continues below video

Some 390 million guns are loose in the United States, more than one for each infant, adult and 90-something in a nursing home.

The major cause of death for American children is now a gun.

More than one mass murder occurs each week.

Many lawmakers are calling for more guns, in the hands of teachers and others.

Where is Congress? Republicans have stopped any attempt to rein in guns no matter how wimpy the attempt is from the Democrats.

Where is the Supreme Court? Three of the five justices who changed the Second Amendment 15 years ago are still there: Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. All were appointed by Republicans and they are joined by three more new people from a Republican base. They all have referenced their leanings toward the concept of originalism espoused by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the five who altered the Second Amendment meaning.

The Scalia-influenced judges all decried making laws from the bench. They all said they lean heavily on the original intent of the founding fathers. Ironically, they in effect wrote new law by drastically changing the Second Amendment and parted ways from the original version that referred to both regulation and security. Now we have neither, just more blood under the bridge.

(David Ross Stevens is a sculptor and contributing columnist for The Jeffersonville (Indiana) News and Tribune.)

David Ross Stevens was the Courier-Journals first investigative environmental writer, from 1968 to 1978. From 1993 to 2003 he taught a course Environment and People at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany. His email is dbqwriter@gmail.com.

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Column by David Ross Stevens | Not regulation or security, just blood - New Castle News

During a special meeting on Thursday, the Hawaii County Council approved the first reading of the Countys proposed fiscal year 2023-24 operating and capital budgets that total nearly $1.19 billion.

The proposed operating budget is $831,663,759, a 5.8% increase from the previous fiscal year and an additional $37.3 million from Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roths original budget request in March.

According to the mayors office, the second draft of the operating budget reflects higher than expected real property tax collections by about $19 million and includes increased revenue projections of approximately $6.29 million for the general fund balance and $10.6 million for the general excise tax fund balance.

The proposed capital budget seeks a total appropriation of $358,528,000 for fiscal year 2023-24, an increase of $13 million from the mayors suggested capital spending plan put forth in March, also due to the increased revenue estimates. The Countys 6-year capital improvements program also proposes 47 projects now instead of the 44 outlined two months ago.

The proposed operating budget calls for 56 new positions for several departments, including dispatchersfor the Hawaii Fire Department and water safety officers at Kohanaiki Beach Park in Kona.

The first amendment, brought forward by Councilmember Ashley Kierkiewicz, increases the proposed general fund balance by $35,000 and adds a new line item in the same amount to the Fire Auxiliary Services account for a new dispatch quality assurance program. The funds would be used to evaluate calls and develop training materials based on that evaluation for current and new employees of fire dispatch in an effort to improve standard operating procedures and customer service.

The amendment was approved 7-0, with Council members Rebecca Villegas and Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder absent at the time of the vote.

The second amendment, introduced by Council Chair Heather Kimball, adds $870,756 to the proposed general fund balance in anticipation of a new Hawaii County Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity and Resilience. The amendment makes sure there are funds available next fiscal year for the proposed new office and its five-person staff if its creation is approved.

The new office would coordinate and manage County policies and programs to address sustainability, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused hazards.

Council members approved the amendment 6-2, with Villegas absent and Kanealii-Kleinfelder and Councilwoman Cindy Evans voting no after expressing hesitation about funding an office that hasnt been created yet.

The first reading of the proposed operating budget, with those amendments, was approved 8-0, with Villegas absent.

Of the proposed $358 million for the capital budget, $295.6 million would be funded by bonds, $26.9 million by federal grants, $33.8 million by the state revolving loan fund, $900,000 by the state capital improvements program and $1.5 million through community benefit assessments and general excise tax.

The Council considered one amendment to the proposed capital budget, introduced by Council Vice Chairman Holeka Inaba, that would add one project, the construction of a lifeguard tower at Kohanaiki Beach Park, and $120,000 to fund it. Council members approved the amendment 8-0, with Villegas absent.

The proposed capital budget for fiscal year 2023-24 and the revised six-year capital improvements program, with that amendment, were approved 8-0, with Villegas absent.

This budget represents a seismic shift in how the County is doing business, Kierkiwiscz said.

She said the Council and County have been pining for a long time for many of the investments the spending plan would make, but now can do so because the cashflow is finally available.

If we dont make these investments, I worry about the problems and the cost to environment, to our workforce, financially to future generations if were not taking steps now to solve for these challenges before they get bigger, Kierkiewicz said.

The Countys fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.

The Council will take up second readings for the proposed operating and capital spending plans on June 1. It is likely a few more amendments will be introduced at that meeting before the budget is finalized.

To read the latest operating budget proposal, clickhere. You can find the updated capital budgethere.

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Hawai'i County Council approves first reading of $1.19 billion ... - Big Island Now