Maui County Charter Amendment Question 6 — Emergency Appropriations

What it does

Shall the Charter be amended, effective January 2, 2027, to allow the Mayor, with approval from the Council, to pass an emergency appropriation for an application for a line of credit and clarify that the one percent limitation for emergency appropriations does not apply to funds that have already been allocated to an emergency fund?

A YES vote means

Starting January 2, 2027, the Mayor, with Council approval, could pass an emergency appropriation for a line of credit application, and the 1 percent limit on emergency appropriations would not apply to money already put in an emergency fund.

A NO vote means

The charter's emergency appropriation rules, including the 1 percent limit, would not be changed this way.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Hawaii adds a second test for constitutional amendments: YES must also equal at least half of all ballots cast in the election, so leaving it blank works against it.

Left–right lean

Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

Charter Section 9-9 caps emergency appropriations at 1% of the year's operating budget and lets the council authorize emergency notes when funds run short; the amendment would replace emergency notes with a line of credit and exclude money already in an emergency fund from the 1% cap, according to the county's explanation in the state voter guide.

Resolution 26-88, CD1 cites the August 2023 Maui wildfires and 2026 Kona Low storms as disasters that required quick county response, and says the term "emergency notes" is unclear and not used in most other jurisdictions.

The Maui County Council adopted the resolution on second and final reading on July 24, 2026, with eight members voting aye and Council Member Gabriel L. Johnson excused, according to the resolution's roll call.

Put on the ballot by Maui County Council, 8–0 (one excused), July 24, 2026 (Resolution 26-88, CD1).

From official source 1, official source 2, official source 3.

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Maui County ballots

• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 1 — Planning Commission Review of General Plan and Land Use Ordinances
• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 2 — Standardizing deadlines for voter initiative, recall, and charter amendment
• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 3 — Computation of Time
• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 4 — Processing of Claims
• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 5 — Removing the English Translation of the Hawai‘i State Motto
• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 7 — Independent Nomination Board
• Maui County Charter Amendment Question 8 — Reappointment of Members of the Board of Ethics

All Maui County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Maui County Charter Amendment Question 6 mean?

Starting January 2, 2027, the Mayor, with Council approval, could pass an emergency appropriation for a line of credit application, and the 1 percent limit on emergency appropriations would not apply to money already put in an emergency fund.

What does a NO vote on Maui County Charter Amendment Question 6 mean?

The charter's emergency appropriation rules, including the 1 percent limit, would not be changed this way.

How many votes does Maui County Charter Amendment Question 6 need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Hawaii adds a second test for constitutional amendments: YES must also equal at least half of all ballots cast in the election, so leaving it blank works against it.

Should I vote yes or no on Maui County Charter Amendment Question 6?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.