If you have an idea about what to do with Hawai‘i's Green Fee tax revenues, the state would like to hear it.
The state’s Green Fee Advisory Council has opened an online portal for members of the public to submit ideas and recommendations for projects that the new Green Fee could fund. Those ideas will be used to make recommendations to the state Legislature next year about how funds should be allocated.
Gov. Josh Green signed the Green Fee into law in 2025, with the tax first going into effect at the start of this year. The fee is an increase of the state’s transient accommodations tax rate, with the additional revenue to go toward environmental stewardship, climate resilience and sustainable tourism projects.
On Wednesday, Jeff Mikulina, chair of the Green Fee Advisory Council, said the council has already approved some 62 proposed projects so far. But the council is asking the public to suggest some more over the next week.
“The goal is to create a constant conversation about our funding priorities and the community’s priorities,” said council member Carmela Resuma.
Through the online portal, anyone can submit an idea for a project within one of three categories (environmental stewardship, climate reliance and hazard mitigation and sustainable tourism), or upvote other submissions from other people.
Submissions can be as detailed or as broad as the submitter likes. On Wednesday afternoon, the most recent project proposal read in its entirety “Historic tour of Wahiawā Town,” while the one before that was a proposal for Hawai‘i Island cesspool conversion with a proposed budget and project timeline.
Mikulina said submitting a proposal is no guarantee that a project will receive funding. He said the council received hundreds of proposals from the public and state departments last year with a cumulative projected budget of over $2 billion, which the council had to whittle down to fit the actual Green Fee revenues, which are expected to be about $100 million.
However, the council is more likely to recommend “shovel-ready” projects that can be implemented quickly after the Legislature approves funding.
Residents with ideas should share them quickly, though: the deadline for public comments to be incorporated into the council’s 2027 recommendations is Nov. 1, although the portal will remain open for submissions after the deadline passes. Submissions received after the deadline may be considered for future funding cycles.
After Nov. 1, the council will evaluate all submissions and make a prioritized list of recommendations for the governor, who will transmit those recommendations to the Legislature.
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