Honolulu, HI (Honolulu Civil Beat)

The county wants to use some of the money to rebuild accessory dwelling units but is primarily focused on securing final approval.

Maui County is asking for greater flexibility in how it's allowed to spend $1.6 billion in federal recovery money meant to help residents rebound from the 2023 wildfires while making tweaks to ensure the action plan it submitted last week to regulators wins approval.

The cost to rebuild thousands of destroyed homes, roads and infrastructure could top $7 billion, the county's Office of Recovery estimates. The grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development makes a significant dent but it doesn't relieve local government officials of the scramble to find other revenue sources.

Federal regulators have 45 days

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