04-12-2024, 04:50 PM
From: The Ohana Aina Association
Date: March 26, 2024 at 8:25:55 PM HST
Subject: Sign the Petition
Petition Opposing Bill 121
On January 23, 2023 Hawaii County Counselors Heather Kimball and Ashley Kierkiewicz introduced a draft bill that will financially impact the more than 7,500 families who rent a bedroom in their home or an ohana on their property.
The bill was met with overwhelming opposition by kama'ania families. The short-term rental bill was blasted as Dozens express strong opposition to County Council’s TAR measure, but it still passed out of committee with an 8-0 vote.
Though this bill has been presented as a simple registration, it isn't. Homeowners are expected to sign sworn affidavits, disclose where in their home they sleep, provide floorplans and submit to enhanced oversight by the Planning Department. this bill takes away significant private property rights and further burdens local small businesses with onerous regulations. The proposed fees are unaffordable and the proposed fines, when combined with an appeals process that can run for years, are catastrophic to anyone who the Planning Director decides he doesn't like.
This bill will significantly impact farmers who depend on agri-tourism. It seriously restricts the ability of families who live on agriculturally zoned land to participate meaningfully in Hawaii's main industry. This impacts the financial viability of farms and puts local food production in jeopardy.
The bill also ends the ability of landlords to rent for less than 180 days. This will severely impact the ability of young people, newly arrived residents, inter-island travelers, traveling professionals, newly divorced couples and even homeless individuals to access housing. It is also a violation of the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution and will result in significant litigation which taxpayers will pay for and Hawaii County will lose.
The County proposed the bill without conducting any independent studies, holding any listening sessions or collaborating with any of the several groups who represent families and farmers.
This petition is a humble respectful request to our elected officials to withdraw this legislation before it harms the families who depend on vacation rental income for their livelihood.
As a resident of Hawai’i County, I respectfully request:
• Counselors Kimball and Kierkiewicz withdraw the current proposed legislation and re-start the process by listening to families potentially affected by the bill.
• Hawai’i County initiate an independent study from qualified academics with a focus on past legislation’s direct impact on affordable housing, homelessness, income inequality and home prices. This study should also review other independent academic work both nationally and internationally in order to forecast the proposed bill’s effects on families and the local economy.
• Conduct island wide listening sessions with farmers, farmstay operators, homestay operators, vacation rental operators and local neighborhoods to get feedback and ideas prior to drafting new legislation.
• Publicly disclose the number, type and location of all complaints related to homestay and farmstay operations including grouping complaints by complainant.
• Draft the new legislation in collaboration with stakeholders using an open online tool such as Google Docs that discloses the writer and editor of each clause and allows the general public to comment on the legislation as it is drafted.
• Fully enforce current legislation regulating vacation rentals and study the results before passing new legislation intended to solve the same problems.
While I am not opposed to common sense regulation, I am opposed to a legislative process that does not include rigorous investigation, stakeholder involvement and uniform enforcement.
My vote on August 10th will be strongly influenced by the County’s future behavior in this matter.
Sign here: http://www.oaahawaii.org/petition_bill12...r_id=48052
Date: March 26, 2024 at 8:25:55 PM HST
Subject: Sign the Petition
Petition Opposing Bill 121
On January 23, 2023 Hawaii County Counselors Heather Kimball and Ashley Kierkiewicz introduced a draft bill that will financially impact the more than 7,500 families who rent a bedroom in their home or an ohana on their property.
The bill was met with overwhelming opposition by kama'ania families. The short-term rental bill was blasted as Dozens express strong opposition to County Council’s TAR measure, but it still passed out of committee with an 8-0 vote.
Though this bill has been presented as a simple registration, it isn't. Homeowners are expected to sign sworn affidavits, disclose where in their home they sleep, provide floorplans and submit to enhanced oversight by the Planning Department. this bill takes away significant private property rights and further burdens local small businesses with onerous regulations. The proposed fees are unaffordable and the proposed fines, when combined with an appeals process that can run for years, are catastrophic to anyone who the Planning Director decides he doesn't like.
This bill will significantly impact farmers who depend on agri-tourism. It seriously restricts the ability of families who live on agriculturally zoned land to participate meaningfully in Hawaii's main industry. This impacts the financial viability of farms and puts local food production in jeopardy.
The bill also ends the ability of landlords to rent for less than 180 days. This will severely impact the ability of young people, newly arrived residents, inter-island travelers, traveling professionals, newly divorced couples and even homeless individuals to access housing. It is also a violation of the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution and will result in significant litigation which taxpayers will pay for and Hawaii County will lose.
The County proposed the bill without conducting any independent studies, holding any listening sessions or collaborating with any of the several groups who represent families and farmers.
This petition is a humble respectful request to our elected officials to withdraw this legislation before it harms the families who depend on vacation rental income for their livelihood.
As a resident of Hawai’i County, I respectfully request:
• Counselors Kimball and Kierkiewicz withdraw the current proposed legislation and re-start the process by listening to families potentially affected by the bill.
• Hawai’i County initiate an independent study from qualified academics with a focus on past legislation’s direct impact on affordable housing, homelessness, income inequality and home prices. This study should also review other independent academic work both nationally and internationally in order to forecast the proposed bill’s effects on families and the local economy.
• Conduct island wide listening sessions with farmers, farmstay operators, homestay operators, vacation rental operators and local neighborhoods to get feedback and ideas prior to drafting new legislation.
• Publicly disclose the number, type and location of all complaints related to homestay and farmstay operations including grouping complaints by complainant.
• Draft the new legislation in collaboration with stakeholders using an open online tool such as Google Docs that discloses the writer and editor of each clause and allows the general public to comment on the legislation as it is drafted.
• Fully enforce current legislation regulating vacation rentals and study the results before passing new legislation intended to solve the same problems.
While I am not opposed to common sense regulation, I am opposed to a legislative process that does not include rigorous investigation, stakeholder involvement and uniform enforcement.
My vote on August 10th will be strongly influenced by the County’s future behavior in this matter.
Sign here: http://www.oaahawaii.org/petition_bill12...r_id=48052