HomeMy WebLinkAboutRockwood, Sherry
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:sherry Rockwood <scamp29@hotmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, August 30, 2026 2:46 AM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Re: Bill 147
Testimony Regarding Bill 147
Aloha Chair and Council Members,
My name is Sherry Rockwood, and I am a full-time resident of Waikoloa Village.
I want to speak about Bill 147 from the perspective of someone who actually lives in her home and rents
only a small portion of it as a short-term rental.
Our home was never purchased as an investment property or vacation rental. It is our home. We live
there full-time, and renting a small portion of it has helped us afford to continue living here.
I understand the need for reasonable regulations for vacation rentals. But I strongly believe there needs
to be a distinction between large investment or absentee vacation rentals and homeowners who live on
their property and rent a room or small portion of their home.
We have already experienced an enormous financial consequence simply because we chose short-term
rental rather than another type of home-based income. Our property taxes went from approximately
$1,900 a year to almost $9,000 after we lost the protection of the homeowner tax classification and the
assessment cap we had built up over many years.
That also makes me question the fairness of how different home-based income-producing activities are
treated. A homeowner can operate certain businesses from the home or rent part of the home long-term,
yet an owner-occupied short-term rental can face dramatically different consequences.
For example, if I became licensed to provide in-home childcare and operated that business from part of
my home, I would still be earning income from my home. Why should renting a small portion of the same
home to visitors cause such dramatically different treatment?
These hosted rentals can actually help longtime residents remain in Hawai ʻ i. Without that additional
income, some families may eventually be forced to sell their homes and move away from the island to be
closer to their children and grandchildren where the cost of living is lower.
I respectfully ask you, as you consider Bill 147, to recognize the difference between an investor-owned
vacation rental and a hosted rental where the homeowner lives on the property full-time.
Please protect responsible, owner-occupied hosted rentals and don’t regulate us as though we are the
same as absentee vacation rental businesses.
For many of us, this isn’t about building a vacation rental business. It’s about being able to afford to stay
in the home and community we love.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
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From: sherry Rockwood <scamp29@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, 30 August 2026 01:42:05
To: counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov <counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov>; sherry Rockwood
<scamp29@hotmail.com>
Subject: Bill 147
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