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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0675.359 2022-2024From: Megan Isaac Sent: Friday, July 5, 2024 11:33 AM To: Council Testimony Subject: OPPOSE BILLS 121, 122 AND 123 Monday 7/8 Committee for Planning, Devt and Land use OPPOSE BILLS 121,122 AND 123CD c-3 Monday 7/8 Committee for Planning, Devt and Land use Dear Council Members I- Bill 121: - — Objection on the grounds of • Gross overreach, interference with property rights • over regulation when platforms already monitor quality and safety • on these platforms the market self regulates many many issues that have allegedly been a concern. • The complaint process leaves power of arbitration in the hands of an overworked and as yet not efficient department. • Fines are extremely harsh leading to the possibility that a neighbor could cause irrevocable financial injury to another. • This is going to be challenged in court and cost County taxpayers money • THERE IS NO ECONOMIC STUDY OF IMPACTS Bill 122 It's overreach and unnecessary to make the internationally recognized designation of Bed and Breakfast obsolete. This will result in basically a default on contracts that County of Hawaii have entered into and will also likely result in lawsuits. Bill 123 I oppose on the grounds that this bill is more overreach and control of farmers'and who they may have on their land. On what grounds should any of us be treating this as a major concern ? Farmers need workers and ohana to live on the land and help raise food. This bill creates more pretexts for regulation and limits to be placed on farmers. General Comments: Hours, days of testimony in opposition has already been entered into the record from private citizens who are working entrepreneurs or farmers who have testified how this Bill will impact them personally and the impact it will have on their community. They are reporting the harm likely to come to them under this bill. C.�. 35 Comm. Nv Ref. TO: Ref. Gate L ® 2024 It seems a little inexcusable that this bill has been pushed forward given the other optic that you all received a salary raise of approximately 20% or more. There is already real pain being experienced in the community with inflation taking money from people's savings, spiking debt levels and causing food insecurity. If you continue with this you will be flagging to your community an extremely callous indifference to what people are experiencing. The value of STRs is over 5 billion to our economy across all islands. We don't have any employment sector worth nearly that value. For this reason, an optic that is extremely disturbing is that Kekoa Maclellan the lobbyist for American Hotel and Lodging Association was first to testify in February at the introduction of Bill 2919 that passed into law by both houses. He stated that it was his goal and the goal fo the AHLA for the past'8 years' to'shut down Short Term Rentals in Hawaii.' Bill 2919 is a neutron sized demolition of our economy and it has yet to be explained what any of the state legislators have imagined would replace the lost economic value for our island or any other. You will be reminded again and again by people testifying in Committee on Monday 7/8 who oppose this of how reckless this is and that it absolutely should not be done without a committed economic study. It is a poor reflection on legislators Kimball, Kierkiewicz and on Planning Director Kern that this was not done before even the first draft of legislation was commenced. For two legislators Kimball and Kierkiewicz with some of the most vulnerable farming communities in their district to have introduced this bill leads many to ask: Why haven't we seen what essentially is the 'opposite' of this bill? Since hosting and eco-farm economy go hand in hand and are inseparable, why haven't you as a council been working on bills that bring tourists to our farms for hosted stays, retreats and workshops? It is a very bad optic that you would be considering such gross governmental overreach to our largesttwo entrepreneurial enterprises: Farming and Hosting. In conclusion with Bills 121,122 and 123 you have no Economic Impact Study to substantiate your claim that this would help this island be more affordable and therefore you should not pass these. I strongly oppose. Please do the right thing and reject this legislation wholesale, regardless of amendments and tweaks. Farmers are speaking up about the harm, regular working people and retirees are saying this will force them into foreclosure. The risk is far far greater than it could possibly be'worth it' to take a chance of this all working out without a study. Kokua, malama.. this is your kuleana. Aloha and thank you. Megan Isaac Hilo (STR Operator in a CDH zoning)