HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.042 2016-2018From: Kyle Jones
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Testimony Regarding County Bill 108
Date: Monday, April 23, 2018 10:17:30 AM
Dear Hawaii County Council Members,
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_ Y CLERK
ou T F HIM
ION APR 27 AN '04
My name is Kyle Jones, I am writing to express my extreme opposition to county bill 108,
which seeks to unfairly punish middle and low class =home owners and bring chaos to our local
economy.
Much of our local economy is built upon vacation rentals, indirectly or directly. There is not
enough housing even currently for all the visitors that want to visit our island, especially in the
high season. Hampering the ability to create and manage vacation rentals will upend this
balance even further. A large portion of the economy is dedicated to the tourism industry here
and will be directly affected by any such vacation rental bill. What about the individuals who
work to clean vacation rentals? Or vacation rental management? or any number of service jobs
that rely on the tourist flow through our island? All of these tertiary industries will be affected
by such a bill. .
The bill itself is a disaster. Why are the only properties exempt from a $500 certificate located
in resort zoned districts? This is clearly intended to punish low income and middle class
homeowners who are far more likely to operate rentals in ,ag zoned areas. Furthermore, the
bill fails to take into account the large swaths of the island that have no resort classification.
Whether intentional or not, bill 108 as written is a clear attack on the middle class. This is
complicated further by the incredibly unethical behavior exhibited by Councilwomen Eoff,
who lied several times to constituents regarding her ownership of a short term vacation rental
that happens to be located in a resort zoned area. Whether or not she has been "officially"
cleared is of no consequence. Based on the evidence, Councilwomen Eoff clearly acted
unethically and this bill is mired in conflicts of interests now.
My mom was able to save our house by renting it through Airbnb after the financial crisis cost
us most of our reliable sources of income. The recession was one of the most important
reasons why affordable housing is an issue today. Over 12 million individuals lost their homes
during the financial crisis. Simplifying the housing situation by stating that the cause is short
term vacation rentals is disingenuous and simply inaccurate, and targeting vacation rentals will
not solve any housing problems:, This bill will have long lasting and far reaching effect far
beyond just housing affordability.
I strongly urge all members to vote NO to proposed bill 108.
-Kyle
Comm. No. -1 31t Y2.-
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