HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0675.072 2022-2024 From: donkephart
Sent: Sunday,January 21, 2024 12:45 PMCD en
To: Council Testimony c._. cc.
Subject: Bill 121 --i
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Dear Hawaii County Counsil,
I am writing in response to Bill 121 regarding short-term vacation rentals. In brief, I bgiev7::
that it is poorly conceived and unnecessarily punitive to responsible STRV owners, to visitors,
to local businesses, and to many local residents.
My wife Kerrill,and I are retired teachers. We both have pensions but the extra income from
operating a short-term vacation rental on our property is critical to us.
I understand why some people resent short-term vacation rentals. Some neighborhoods in
Kona have been negatively impacted by inconsiderate visitors, off-site owners, and too many
rental cars. The overhaul of STVR's five years ago was supposed to address these issues. If the
county can't manage to enforce those provisions, why should we believe that adding even
more rules will result in better compliance?
We all understand that affordable housing is in critically short supply on this island, and it is
tempting to believe that visitor housing is taking away units that might otherwise be available
to residents. Is there ANY evidence that adding yet more burdensome bureaucratic regulations
in the form of Bill 121 will somehow magically provide more housing for those in need?
If your goal is to provide more housing, we need to reduce the regulatory burden on future
units, not punish those who have already invested their blood, sweat and tears in existing
housing. My wife and I built this house in 1989 using money borrowed from our family and
our own two hands. I know that there are many more folks out there who would be happy to
build additional housing at no cost to the county if you relaxed your restrictions on ohana units
We have always tried to work within the existing rules. We have paid our property taxes, GET
taxes and TAT taxes on time for over thirty years. We try to be good neighbors and hosts. If
you look us up on the hosting platforms you will see that we are rated as "super hosts" and
receive over 90% five-star reviews. If you peruse the county records you will see that we have
zero complaints from neighbors about noise, parking or any other issues.
Hundreds of visitors every year are able to come here and enjoy the Big Island because of our
rental property. These are extended working-class families, not the sort of economic elites
who might otherwise book rooms at the Mauna Kea Resort or the Four Seasons. OK, if you are
cynical enough you might just say that they are not your constituents and therefore not your
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responsibility. But what about the people whom they pay for rental cars, groceries, tourist
attractions, flowers, tours (by land, sea, and air), luaus, souvenirs, restaurant meals, special
services, and the like? Did anybody in the County Council even pay lip service to the economic
benefits that the island derives from our TAR guests?
It would also be a mistake to think that all of our guests are mainland tourists. Each year we
host many local families who are able to house wedding guests, graduation guests, and
attendees at family reunions. We are still in contact with long-time friends in Hilo who began
bringing their now-adult kids over to the dry-side beaches decades ago. We also provide
housing for roofers, electricians, nurses, scientists (including astronomers), and other
professionals doing temporary but important work on the Big Island. Church groups working
on voluntary projects, conference-attenders who eschew hotel living, families of Ironman
participants, and medical students are also among our guests.
Our main clients, however, are three-generation families who are able to come together from
different states and even different countries to spend some time together under one
roof. They enjoy taking in all that this beautiful island has to offer while having time to eat
together and to play together while they are here. These people are not going to stay in
impersonal hotels: They are going to choose to vacation elsewhere where STVRs are
available. Many of them describe our house as their home away from home: Taking that
away from them seems very short-sighted and antithetical to the whole concept of "aloha."
Thanks for your consideration.
Don Kephart
PO Box 44305
(808) 882-7321
donkephart@earthlink.net
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