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From: Dan and Shannon Fisher
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 12:58 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Oppose Bill 47 Draft 1
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Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Economic Development
Ashley Kierkiewicz, Chair
Michelle Galimba, Vice Chair
Re: Testimony Opposing Bill 47, Draft 1 --
Members of the Hawaii County Council,
I am writing to urge the council to oppose Bill47 in regard to the STR for the following
reasons;
1. Residents who own and operate short term rentals contribute significantly to the tax
base in their areas through the collection of GE and TA taxes.
2. Residents who operate short term rentals employ locals in their areas and help sustain
the communities.
3. By offering short term rentals especially in rural areas, other businesses like mom and
pop stores and restaurants in the areas also benefit from the effects of tourism because
the visitors have access to food and shopping in the remote areas they choose to stay in.
4. Residents who operate short term rentals for transient visitors have mostly well kept
yards and beautify the neighborhood. Where I live in Volcano we follow the long range plan
that includes a rural and naturally beautiful landscape.
5. Residents who invest/design their homes specifically to rent spaces for short term
rentals are not specifically designed to house month to month or long term renters. For
example, if a home were modeled specifically to rent 3 rooms for transient visitors with
private entrances to each unit and their own private bathrooms this design is unique and
creates privacy for each unit it could not be rented to a family. If such a property was not
able to continue to rent to visitors it would not be able to recoup earnings by renting long
term to families or even single people, no full kitchen or common areas.
6. A lot of families who rent short term space are doing so to create a business and earn
money to pay the mortgage and maybe have an opportunity to pass the business on to
their children.
7. Communities are made stronger by home sales, people buying their own home, not
renting longterm. By putting short term rentals out of business it does not improve the
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economy.
8. During the 2018 eruptions there were a lot of vacation rental homes that went out of
business. Some were destroyed by the lava in fact the entire Kapoho community, mostly
all short term rentals. Many other short term rental businesses did not survive the loss of
tourism/visitors at that time. These homes were sold, not turned into long term rentals.
After that devastation all of our property taxes went up and an additional County TA tax was
implemented. I believe this increase was a direct result of the county missing out on this
short term rental income. Comm.
1 Ref. To:
Ref. Date 2 1 2025
9. My question to the counsel is, How do you see a benefit by
continuing to entertain putting valid short term rentals out of business? They will surely
have to raise taxes for others to get the money they will miss.
Mahalo,
Shannon Fisher
Hawaii Island