2024-04-02 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 Chuck Barker Testimony

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Kuleana Mortgage LLG 4 Kamehameha Avenue Hilo, Hawaii 96120 info.kuleana@cjmail.com Tel:505-135-9350 TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL BILL 121 Hearing Date &Time:April 4, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Location: Hawaii County Council Chambers, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo This testimony is submitted in opposition to Hawaii County Council Bill# 121. First and foremost, I call upon each Councilmember to vote in a manner that is consistent with the majority of Hawaii Island consitutents. Without equivocation, the testimony at each and every hearing which pertains to vacation rentals has been, and continues to be,overwhelmingly in opposition to further restrictions, limitations and governmental interference with the commercial activity that provides visitors to Hawaii Island an opportunity that is an alternative to extraordinarily costly, insulated hotels and resorts, and provides a unique experience of living, even for just a short time, within our community. Moreover, attempting to restrict vacation rentals in any measure whatsoever would further eviscerate the employment opportunites for Hawaii Island residents that make their livings, and supplement other incomes in housekeeping, landscaping, maintenance and care for these properties and for the travelers who come to our Island. For all of these reasons, this Bill 121 must be voted down. Later on, and to the contrary, we can then all work on developing frameworks that can foster and assist the vacation rental industry, as an important contributor to our economy. If the voting record of Councilmembers is any metric—which it is—it would appear that many sitting in the Council seats have either forgotten or have chosen to ignore the fact that we are— whether one likes to admit it or not- a visitor-dependent economy. We do not have substantial manufacturing exports and our agricultural output is but a tiny fragment fraction of once-dominant,but now nearly three decades passed into history, sugar industry. I present this testimony to express increasing concern with County enactments and regulations which are irrefutably not representative of either the wishes of the majority of our population, nor conducive to the best interests of our community. As to STVRs, we have witnessed in the past several years, increasing restrictions on the abilities of property owners to be able to make their properties available to visitors, visitors to our islands who governmental agencies have espoused an increasing proclivity to relabel as "transients", a term that is undeniably intentionally alienating. We, as the majority members of the public, did not request the imposition of regulations that threaten to essentially eradicate the cottage industry of making rooms, ohanas, yurts, farm dwellings and homes available to visitors, and those who wish to come here to experience life in Hawaii—an experience that is not available in a posh expensive hotel room. Instead, the imposition of those rules happened internally, at the county govermmnent level, and now potentially at the state legislative level Public input was ostensibly invited, yet abjectly disregarded.At one of the early STVR heaings (Bill 108), conducted in the Aupuni Center, 30 members of the public testified; I was one of them. Exactly 100% testified in opposition, yet those voices were compltely ignored by the County Council, and regulations were imposed shortly thereafter, without the benefit of a public vote. Look at the testimony on these bills that occurred recently on January 23, 2024: the overwhelming and very nearly unanimous testimony on these bills 121, 122& 123: IT IS IN OPPOSITION.