The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0739.084 2016-2018wish to share my comments about the new amendments made to Bill 108, Transient Vacation Rental Regulations. My name is Kristina Anderson and I reside in South Kona. I have owned my own home here since 2004. I'm a single mom with two boys who have just graduated from UH Hilo. For many years, I have rented a room of my primary residence to short-term guests, nearly 100 percent of whom are couples or singles visiting the Islands. I have a TAT and excise license and I collect 14.45% from the guests to remit to the state. As I have stated in previous testimony, this income stream is one of three (the other two are writing and teaching) that I use to sustain our small family's numerous expenses. We've been able to save our home from foreclosure, pay our loan modification payments and stabilize our lives after a really rough time during the recession and its aftermath. I appreciate that my type of hosted rental will be protected in this legislation but I still have concerns about the bill's overreach in general. In addition, I would also like to state my views in light of the current lava inundation crisis in Puna. My concerns and recommendations are as follows: 1. Imposing new regulations on our devastated island community at this time is not only unwise for tourism and demonstrates tone-deaf leadership, it's just downright cruel. The Puna area was already suffering economic issues from storms and other factors before the lava flows. To carry this bill forward on the few remaining vacation rentals in the area is simply morally wrong. Also, you may not be aware that many short term hosts are offering evacuees FREE housing through the Airbnb program but if you impost STR regulations on those hosts now, they will have to cease operations, even if they are donating housing. As you know, our tourism economy has already taken a hit throughout the entire state because tourists are now afraid of the volcano! Why make it worse? PLEASE PLEASE TABLE THIS BILL until the lava situation is stabilized or the flows cease. But in case you don't: Gomm. No. Ref. To: L Ref. Date.JUN 0 5 201$ JP -PC RILL 10% I 4 4 Co C-) May 18 2018 TO: MEMBERS OF HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL:) rn RE: Amendments to Bill 108 :4 > Dear Hawaii County Council Members: �O wish to share my comments about the new amendments made to Bill 108, Transient Vacation Rental Regulations. My name is Kristina Anderson and I reside in South Kona. I have owned my own home here since 2004. I'm a single mom with two boys who have just graduated from UH Hilo. For many years, I have rented a room of my primary residence to short-term guests, nearly 100 percent of whom are couples or singles visiting the Islands. I have a TAT and excise license and I collect 14.45% from the guests to remit to the state. As I have stated in previous testimony, this income stream is one of three (the other two are writing and teaching) that I use to sustain our small family's numerous expenses. We've been able to save our home from foreclosure, pay our loan modification payments and stabilize our lives after a really rough time during the recession and its aftermath. I appreciate that my type of hosted rental will be protected in this legislation but I still have concerns about the bill's overreach in general. In addition, I would also like to state my views in light of the current lava inundation crisis in Puna. My concerns and recommendations are as follows: 1. Imposing new regulations on our devastated island community at this time is not only unwise for tourism and demonstrates tone-deaf leadership, it's just downright cruel. The Puna area was already suffering economic issues from storms and other factors before the lava flows. To carry this bill forward on the few remaining vacation rentals in the area is simply morally wrong. Also, you may not be aware that many short term hosts are offering evacuees FREE housing through the Airbnb program but if you impost STR regulations on those hosts now, they will have to cease operations, even if they are donating housing. As you know, our tourism economy has already taken a hit throughout the entire state because tourists are now afraid of the volcano! Why make it worse? PLEASE PLEASE TABLE THIS BILL until the lava situation is stabilized or the flows cease. But in case you don't: Gomm. No. Ref. To: L Ref. Date.JUN 0 5 201$ 2. If you are going to impose a $500 fee on non -conforming area rentals, this same fee should be imposed on resort zone rentals. I don't understand why one type has to pay and the other doesn't. Especially because the non- conforming rentals tend to be in the less wealthy areas of the island. Reminds me of the Monopoly playing card, "Pay Poor Tax of $12." But I really don't think anyone should have to pay $500 every year. That's too steep. If you need money to enforce it, find another source or charge resort zones too. 3. 1 DISAGREE with the proposition of requiring owners to show proof of state tax infomration to the county, offering their confidential tax documents such as returns for county scrutiny. That's a huge violation of confidentiality. The state guarantees us the right of confidentiality in regards to our state tax records. Maybe the tax department can issue a certificate confirming taxes have been paid without revealing confidential returns? To do otherwise is granting county government far too much overreach and power. 4. Parking site plan. What does this mean? Do owners have to hire an architect or draftsman to create this at considerable expense? Or can it be an informal sketch? 5. 24/7-365 Designated contact person. Providing Planning with their name and contact. Isn't this a bit unreasonable? Why would Planning need it? Are they going to contact anyone? 6. Good neighbor policy is a good start but how will this be enforced? Contact person needing to respond within an hour isn't reasonable. Consider changing to two hours. This is the Big Island, after all! Police reports or neighbor complaints going on your record can be feigned if a neighbor doesn't like your rental, and it could be abused to turn it into a tattle program. 7. Please leave hosted rentals alone! These are not the "problem" rentals. If hosts live onsite, the guest count will generally be smaller and the host will be here to make sure things go smoothly and quietly. At the April meeting, couldn't help but note that Planning directors were totally uninterested in going after hosted rentals, despite one councilmember pushing it. And finally; 8. The conflict of interest issues presented two councilmembers now who have their own rentals is really disgusting. One disclosed hers only after a constituent made her rental public; the other confessed before his was made public. Have these two even properly reported their income on these rentals? Can we find out? Will they release their tax records? I believe both these members should recuse from voting on the issue or it will look like councilmembers are voting on a measure that protects their best interests. Your own ethics board may have cleared you, but the general public has not. In closing ... eve n with the lava devastating our island PLEASE be aware that what you are proposing will have an adverse effect on local families and others who are just getting by with income from or as employees of the many STRs around the island. Many will shut down and that is going to tank our economy and depress our real estate market. We are going to lose visitors who can't afford the Sheraton or other hotels. They won't be eating at our restaurants, buying our souvenirs, renting our cars, shopping in our markets and taking our visitor tours and activities. And all this is without even considering the lava flows and the national press that is scaring everyone off with doomsday scenarios and misinformation. THIS BILL SHOULD BE TABLED! Sincerely, KRISTINA ANDERSON South Kona