HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0675.017 2022-2024 From: Paul Byron
Sent: Monday,January 22, 2024 2:44 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Vacation Rental Testimony
The agri tourism vacation rentals on our small <2 acre farm in South Kona is our our livelihood and
business. We have a beautiful and productive regenerative farm and contribute to local organic
commercial agriculture, but if we relied on our ag earnings alone, we would be so far below poverty
level that we would be on state assistance unless we pursued work away from the farm. This is true
for many small farms. Farming is a lifestyle choice and value and yet we need additional income
streams because in 2024 you can no longer support yourself as a small farm exclusively. We need
the County to take additional steps to protect agricultural tourism on the Big Island.
We need small farms to have assurances beyond a special use permit that they will be able to
operate and be valued as successful agricultural tourism businesses. We put our love and work into
our land, pay our GET, TAT and income taxes, don't take the homeowners exemption and employ the
local workforce. We are big contributors to the local economy.
Our agricultural tourism businesses support us economically as well as contribute to the natural
resources and food security of the island. I am advocating that the County ensure and add
protections for agricultural tourism as this is consistent with both the General Plan and CDPs. With
the deployment of Bill 108, agricultural properties lost their ability to operate and so we need to
ensure this does not happen to owner occupied and hosted TARs that are in agricultural zoned
properties. I hope the County will value our contributions to the local economy by re-looking at this
bill to see how it can better support local agricultural tourism.
I would like to propose an alternative to the current bill - that focuses on owner occupied and hosted
TARs registering to ensure compliance for paying GET/TAT taxes but that does not require a special
use permit for agricultural zoned TARs.
Thanks, c-)
Paul
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Comm. N•. ' .S
Ref.To: t t IA al
Ref. Date JAN 2 3 2024
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