The Hawaii County Council voted today not to override Mayor Harry Kim’s veto of Bill 101.
The council had voted previously voted 6-3 to ban the county’s use of herbicides before Kim vetoed the law over a variety of concerns. The council needed the same number of votes to override the mayor’s first veto, but failed to do so by a tally of 5 to 4.
Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz was the lone swing vote. She had voted “kanalua yes,” or yes with reservations on the bill previously, but voted against the override today.
Bill 101, sponsored by Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas, would, over a four-year period, prohibit the use of Roundup and 22 other weedkillers in parks and alongside roads, bike-ways, sidewalks, trails, drainage-ways and waterways owned or maintained by the county.
A full story on the council vote will be published later.