HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0232.001 2024-2026JON HENRICKS
County Clerk
County of Hawaii
Office of the County Clerk
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1402 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720
(808) 961-8255 • Fax (808) 961-8912
DATE: May 5, 2025
TO
Members of the Finance Committee
Hawaii County Council
Legislative Research Branch)q
Office of the County Clerk
AARON BROWN
Deputy County Clerk
RE: Bill No. 44; An Ordinance Amending Chapter 19, Article 10, Section
19-89, of the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as Amended),
Relating to Exemption for Certain Hawaiian Homes Property, and
Other Agencies.
The information hereinbelow contained is provided with the intention of aiding the
committee's consideration of Bill No. 44, which proposes to exempt the value of
buildings on Hawaiian Home Lands homesteads from property taxes.
Scope of Inquiry:
How do the four counties tax Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL)
homestead leases?
County of Hawaii:
On Hawaii County, the land value of a DHHL homestead is fully exempt, while
a home exemption is applicable to the value of buildings in the same way as a non -
homestead parcel: a base amount of $50,0001 and an additional amount of 20% of
the total assessed property value (land and buildings) up to $100,000. The resulting
net taxable value is taxed at either the minimum tax ($200) or the homeowner rate
(currently 0.595%), whichever is greater.
l Or a higher age -based amount set forth in the County Code § 19-71(d). Comm. No
Ref. To:
For homestead leases without a home exemption, the land value is exempt and
the building value is assessed and taxed accordingly as the entire net taxable value.
Bill No. 44 seeks to make the existing DHHL homestead exemption inclusive of
the building value, fully exempting homesteads from property taxes. This would
subject all homestead lease parcels to the minimum tax of $200. Approximately 29%
of homesteads with a home exemption are currently taxed at the minimum tax.
County of Kauai:
Kauai does not levy property taxes on DHHL homesteads.
(see Kauai County Code §§ 5A-6.3(g), 5A-11.23(a))
City & County of Honolulu:
The City and County levies a minimum tax of $300 on DHHL homesteads.
(see Revised Ordinances of Honolulu §§ 8-10.20, 8-11.1(g))
County of Maui:
On Maui, like Hawaii County, the land is fully exempt, with the building value
assessed and taxed in the same way as a non -homestead parcel. If the parcel has a
home exemption, the building is exempt up to $300,000. The net taxable value is
taxed at the applicable rate or the minimum tax of $300, whichever is greater.
(see Maui County Code §§ 3.48.555, 3.48.290.B.)
For the 2024-25 fiscal year, the applicable rates were:
Owner -occupied - $1.80 per $1,000 (0.18%)
Non -owner -occupied - $5.87 per $1,000 (0.587%)
The outcome of this policy is that the vast majority (>85%) of owner -occupied
homesteads are subject only to the minimum tax. For all owner -occupied
homesteads, the average assessed value and tax bill was $298,600 and $332,
respectively, for an effective rate of 0.11%.2
2 Based on the most recent publicly available assessment data.
PA