HomeMy WebLinkAboutRockwood, Sherry and David
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:sherry Rockwood <scamp29@hotmail.com>
Sent:Friday, September 11, 2026 7:10 PM
To:Council Testimony
Cc:sherry Rockwood; david rockwood
Subject:Written Testimony on Bill 147 – September 15, 2026
Aloha Chair Kierkiewicz and Members of the Policy Committee,
My name is Sherry and David Rockwood, and I we are full-time homeowner in Waikoloa Village. I am
submitting testimony regarding Bill 147.
We have lived in our home for approximately 22 years and have hosted guests in a small, separated
portion of it for about nine years. The guest area is approximately 380 square feet—about 22% of our
1,741-square-foot home. My husband and I live on the property full time. This is not an absentee-owned
vacation rental or an investment property. It is our home.
I support reasonable safety standards and responsible regulation. However, I respectfully ask the
Council to clearly distinguish small, owner-occupied hosted accommodations from unhosted
commercial short-term vacation rentals.
I am also concerned about labeling every owner-occupied hosted rental as a “bed and breakfast,”
particularly when many of us do not operate traditional bed-and-breakfast businesses or serve
breakfast. A clear category for an “owner-occupied hosted transient accommodation” would more
accurately describe what we do.
The consequences of treating a small portion of a resident’s home as a commercial operation can be
severe. After renting approximately 380 square feet of our home short term, our property taxes increased
from about $1,900 per year to nearly $9,000. We also lost the protection of the 3% assessment cap that
we had built over many years of homeownership.
I understand that Bill 147 does not directly amend the property-tax code. Nevertheless, the
classifications and definitions adopted in this bill may affect how resident hosts are viewed and treated
by other County departments. That is why it is important for Bill 147 to recognize that an owner who lives
on the property and rents a small guest area is fundamentally different from an investor operating an
entire unhosted house as a vacation rental.
This income helps longtime residents remain in their homes and allows families to maintain their
connection to Hawai ʻ i. Without it, some homeowners may eventually be forced to sell and leave the
island to live closer to family on the mainland.
I respectfully ask the Council to amend Bill 147 to:
1. Establish a separate and clearly defined category for owner-occupied hosted transient
accommodations;
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2. Avoid automatically labeling every hosted accommodation as a traditional bed and breakfast;
3. Apply requirements proportionately, based on whether the owner lives on the property and how much
of the home is rented; and
4. Ensure that the bill does not unintentionally create additional consequences for longtime resident
homeowners who rent only a small portion of their primary residence.
Please protect responsible resident hosts while addressing the legitimate concerns associated with
unhosted commercial vacation rentals.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Sherry and David Rockwood
Waikoloa Village, Hawai ʻ i
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