HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-06-30 Glenn Testimony
From: Bo Tell
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Testimony for Hawaii County Bill 147 for July 2 Meeting
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 3:58:29 PM
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee Members,
As a long time Hawaii Island property owner, taxpayer, and 100% 5 star reviewed Hosted Vacation Rental operator in the food insecure and poverty stricken area of Ka'u where people
are struggling to make ends meet, pay our home insurance that has recently quadrupled or more in some cases, and keeping our small farms above water, I am asking for your support.
We are not asking for special treatment - we are simply asking for fair treatment that allows long time Hosted Vacation Rental operators/Property Owners (many of which are Kapuna),
who count on the very modest extra income from our STR's, to remain in their homes. Bill 147, as written, would essentially make it impossible for most STR's on AG land (a huge
portion of our Island), to continue operating and will force many of us to lose our homes. For any of us, this additional, modest extra income is not about building wealth, it is about
supplementing our income and being able to keep our homes, our small farms, and stay in Hawaii.
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. We ask that the Council consider continuing to allow Hosted STR Operators on AG Land in subdivisions built prior to 1974 be grandfathered in and allowed to continue their operations
without having to go through the additional costs and lengthy paperwork of obtaining a B&B Permit. We support registration to make sure everyone is paying their taxes and the small costs
associated with it but suggest registration should be enough. The proposed bill 147, as written, will put most of us simply renting our Ohana's or extra rooms out of business. Most of us
would never rent our ohanas long term either due to the laws being so heavily favored towards the tenant, we don't want long term tenants, or our places are simply not set up for long term
tenants.
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 has pushed 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. It is now June
24 and the July 1 date was just recently pushed to Sept 1 making it impossible for responsible
STR operators to act in the best interests of the guests while staying in compliance. 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