HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.060 2016-2018e)-Im I K,
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL
PLEASE DO NOT VOTE ON BILL 108, UNTIL MORE THOUGHT HAS BEEN PUT INTO IT!
Aloha: We are Magdalene and Hartley Phillips. My husband and I own a vacation rental in Puna. Our
guests like to stay there, because it is in a quiet subdivision with the ocean at the back door. There are
miles of roads to take walks on, or, if guests have a family member who is disabled, our home is the only
vacation rental in the area that is wheelchair accessible.
We are island residents in our late 60's and early 70-'s and plan, once we can no longer manage stairs, to
convert our vacation rental into our home. Most vacation rental owner we know personally, who do not
live on our island, are couples with dreams to retire here, and in the meantime rent out their homes, to help
with the mortgage payments. We don't know of any millionaires, who are investing in Puna and buying up
blocks of vacation rentals.
We agree with council woman Eileen O'Hara,.that an Ad Hoc Committee needs to be formed, to allow
unhurried, thoughtful discussion between committee members and the public, to improve bill 108.
After reading the article in Sunday's paper, it became clear to us that this proposed law is intended to
squeeze more money out of vacation rental owners. We pay our TA (just increased by 1%) and GE every
month, we pay property and income taxes on our vacation rental.
Visitors are the life blood of our island. We have very few hotels that are generally far removed from
our natural wonders and places of interest. Vacation rental owners allow more people to visit our island
and contribute significantly to our economy. Vacation rentals are not lucrative in every part of our island
and are self-limiting. Visitors want to stay in ocean front and ocean view homes. To those who say that
vacation rentals take away homes that can be rented long-term, we say: Look at all the empty homes in our
area. Most of our residents`would like to live as close to their places of work as possible, thereby
eliminating long commutes.
A home that is a vacation rental is well kept up, and usually only has one vehicle parked in front. If
vacation renters are disturbing neighbors with their noise, it is not a long term problem. In the meantime
they spend money grow our economy.
Again, please put more thought into this bill before it becomes undesirable or too costly to own a
vacation rental, thereby hurting our economy!
Thank you for listening, Magdalene and Hartley Phillips
Comm. No. . I 1A
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Ref. To:
Ref. Date AFRI 4 2018
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Comm. No. . I 1A
v
Ref. To:
Ref. Date AFRI 4 2018