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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.016 2016-2018COUNTY CLERK April 23, 2018 COUNTY 0 HAWAI"Y rv' RECEIVED Margaret A Campbell Time ��`v©Piq By Date 74-4889 Palani Rd. (4 13le1jJ1�/l� .%� � Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 808 987 3551 RE: TVR Bill 108 Dear Hawaii County Council, My husband Bruce and I have been Hawaii residents since 1979. In 1990, we moved to Kona from Oahu. Our 4 sons attended local schools here in Kona. Bruce is the founding pastor of Grace Community Church on Palani Rd. Our home is across the recreational field from the church. Our home is on a 1/2 acre, and the surrounding homes are at least 140 yards away from ours, with foliage in-between. Our AirBnB guests have been very well-behaved, and we doubt that our neighbors even know when we have guests. Our church leadership has been very positive about our home sharing. Our 1 bedroom 'ohana is under the same roof as our main house. I used it for my home office while our sons were still living here, but they didn't return home after college, so have since moved my office into our main house. We need to keep the 'ohana available for visits from our family and other guests. We did rent it out to a young woman for a few years, but it is not optimal for long term renting because it wasn't available when we needed it for our guests. I doubt we would rent it full-time in the future. I am deaf and have cochlear implants. My hearing issues restrict me from working at a large variety of jobs. Being able to rent our "ohana is an optimal way for me to help supplement our income. It's a lot of work, corresponding with our guests and keeping up with cleaning and maintenance, but is perfect for my disability restrictions. Our AirBnB guests have been phenomenal, and it's been a joy to meet great people from around the globe these past 2 % years. We offer a very clean space with beach items & other amenities that our guests really appreciate. It's a joy to share our park -like setting with them, and have had several repeat guests, giving them an opportunity to see Hawaii from a local perspective. We have collected and paid both the Hawaii GET & TAT taxes from each of our guests from the start in November 2015, and paid income tax on our earnings. Next year my husband will be retiring, and we are counting on our Home Sharing income to help pay our mortgage. Please especially continue to allow Kona residents to share their homes. For many of us, it will make a difference in whether or not we'll be able to stay in our homes after retirement. Respectfully submitted, � At Margaret A Campbell Comm. No. Ref. To-..-. __ �i Ref. Dote APR 2 4 2018