HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-06-01 Glenn Testimony
From: Bo Tell
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Testimony for Hawaii County Bill 147 for June 5 Meeting
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026 2:46:12 PM
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee Members,
I am a property owner here on The Big Island of Hawaii that offers a Hosted, unique, personal experience to our many happy guests in Ka'u. We are very proud of our 100% 5 Star reviews
over the many years we have been providing this hosted rental to our guests.
I want to believe we all share the common goal of supporting our community and ensuring
that policies are fair, effective, and clarified without harming honest, long time residents who count on the modest extra income to simply make ends meet in these uncertain financial times
- especially in food insecure and poverty stricken areas like Ka'u where there are very few options for people to stay and very little work to make ends meet. So, I appreciate this
opportunity to provide testimony on Bill 147.
I respectfully ask the Council to consider the following, from my point of view as a 5 star host
and long time property owner before this bill moves forward.
1. I would appreciate clarification on whether State Law requires limiting hosted
accommodations on agricultural land to a host's primary residence, or if this is a policy choice in this bill. Specifically, will small ohana's next to or adjoining the host's primary residence be allowed and be classified as B&B's?. Will there be a "special permit" required? If so, what will the rules be in order to be approved? And, will subdivisions built prior to 1974 be "grandfathered" in even if the home itself was built after 1974? In short, we request that any regulations be clear, practical, and achievable.
2. I respectfully request the Council to examine the structure of any fines to ensure they align with the severity of the violations. The focus should be on guidance rather than harsh, overly punitive damages that could cause severe financial burden to honest residents and Kupuna trying to comply with new regulations that they may not fully understand. Until
we get solid clarification, many of us are hesitant to register, fearing financially devastating fines for any violations we are not aware of under the bill's current wording. There is a recent story out of Oahu where an elderly person was fined $600,000, a lien put on her house, and denied county services. This person was apparently recovering from an accident and
unaware of any fines or that her listing was offered in error until her fines were already 500k. Many of us only net 10-15k per year on our small rental. . . .
3. If I understand correctly, the county is considering pushing the registration date back to September 1? I would ask that the registration date be further extended to one that is realistic where the planning department will have the software, answers to questions, staff, and other tools to realistically be able to actually accept registrations at least 3 months prior to the required registration date so responsible hosts are able to act accordingly. This would be the 3rd time they have extended this simply because they are not
ready to accept applications. Those of us that have been operating legally for years and simply want to stay in compliance shut our calendars down based on these dates because we have
zero idea of what we have to do to be approved, cannot apply or even get answers from planning because they do not have the information from the county, if we are going to be fined
if we get denied said approval, having to cancel guests which would hurt our business, and we are losing business because people coming to Hawaii typically book many months or even a
year in advance. PLEASE, reconsider and give us a date where the County KNOWS they will actually be ready to accept applications with plenty of time for hosts to act accordingly, figure out other ways to supplement their income, figure out if they will actually be able to financially stay in their homes, give guests plenty of time to find other accommodations, and relieve the undo additional stress.
I think we can all agree that the opportunity to strengthen this bill by providing clarity,
fairness, and thoughtful implementation is before the bill is passed, not after.
Mahalo Nui Loa in advance for your time and consideration.
Glenn