Latest news with #Bill9
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maui vacation rental bill draws support, opposition at heated hearing
Owners and managers of some Maui vacation rentals predicted that Mayor Richard Bissen's proposal to convert 6, 100 units into long-term housing will not work and could have unintended consequences. Some argued at Monday's hearing of the Maui County Council's Housing and Land Use Committee that most Valley Isle residents cannot afford the $4, 000 and more they need in monthly rent to keep up with mortgages, taxes, association fees and other expenses. Several said the value on their units ever since Bissen proposed Bill 9 last year has plummeted and they have received no offers—either from local residents or out-of-state investors frightened away because they might not be able to use them as short-term rentals. As a result, they said, renters and buyers who can afford the rent or sales costs might move in from the mainland, meaning Bill 9 would not attain its goal of affordable housing for residents. One woman said she listed one of her two Kihei rental units for sale for $900, 000 last year, then dropped the price to $600, 000 and still received no offers, which she said proves the cost of her unit remains out of reach for local residents. At Monday's hearing, 176 people signed up to testify but only 52 had the chance to speak. The meeting adjourned until June 18 when Council members are prepared to hear a full day of additional testimony. They also earmarked June 23 for a possible third day of hearings. All nine Council members serve on the Housing and Land Use Committee and their votes will provide a preview of what could happen when Bill 9 goes before the Council. The proposal has drawn 'passionate discussion ' that has included bullying and threats, Committee Chair Tasha Kama said. People on both sides of Bill 9 told the committee they have been harassed, and one said he was threatened in person that his house should be burned. Kama regularly admonished people in the audience to refrain from cheering for comments both for and against Bill 9. The hearing began with Bissen and members of his administration arguing the need to reign in housing costs and create more affordable housing for residents, which was exacerbated by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires that destroyed 3, 500 homes and killed 102 people. Bissen amended Bill 9 to give owners three years to transition out of the short-term rental industry, either by renting long term or selling to local residents. Proponents and opponents for the bill repeatedly cited a University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization study in April that predicted losses of jobs, property taxes and visitors among other negative economic impacts of Bill 9. But Bissen said the UHERO report does not tell the 'full story ' of the ongoing departures of Maui families, kupuna, local knowledge and critical workers such as teachers and firefighters, in addition to forcing children to grow up somewhere other than Maui. He argued that short-term rentals have helped exacerbate Maui's housing shortage and have been banned in places like London, Los Angeles and New York. At the same time, Bissen said, 'we cannot build fast enough.' Bill 9, by contrast, will 'make immediate progress, not years down the line, ' he said. Currently, only 4 % of homes are affordable for local residents, Bissen's executive assistant Matt Jachowski said. He cited the UHERO report that the price of condos would drop 25 % in 2027, which would make them affordable to 11, 600 more Maui households. Bill 9 also has been forecast to lead to a 33 % drop in tourists, which would give Maui a ratio of 1 visitor for every 3.3 residents, putting it more in line with other island counties. Before the wildfires, Maui had a ratio of one tourist for every 2.3 residents, Jachowski said. The need for clean water also hurts construction development and Jachowski said vacation rentals use 60 % to 120 % more water than permanent housing. 'We have a moral obligation to act, ' Bissen said. 'The status quo is failing our people.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maui County Council to hear response to vacation rentals conversion today
A key Maui County Council committee will hear testimony today on Mayor Richard Bissen's proposal to convert less than half of Maui's short-term vacation rentals into long-term housing for local residents that's expected to trigger a loss of $60 million in tax revenue while lowering sales and rental prices. The trade-off will be worth it and lead to stable, more affordable housing for Maui residents, Bissen told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on the eve of today's hearing by the Council's Housing and Land Use committee. The Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires killed 102 people, destroyed more than 5, 400 households and sent 12, 000 survivors into emergency housing, exacerbating Maui's housing shortage. 'We've taken a stand we believe in, ' Bissen said. 'It's not anti-visitor. It's pro-local, pro-resident. … It's not meant to divide our community, but to preserve our community.' Visitors remain welcomed on Maui and there still would be hotel rooms and other short-term vacation rentals available in other parts of Maui if Bill 9 passes, requiring 6, 100 rental units to convert to long-term housing for residents, he said. Another 8, 000 vacation rentals in Maui County would be unaffected, with most of them on the island of Maui, Bissen said. Instead of a constant turnover of guests, condominium buildings would turn into new neighborhood communities of full-time, local residents and families, he said. Owners of vacation rentals have urged Bissen and his administration to look for alternatives to developing more affordable housing, which Bissen said he continues to do. But finding appropriate land, getting permits approved and construction costs and time can take years compared to converting existing condos into long-term housing, he said. 'The bottom line is we need to create more inventory, ' Bissen said. 'It's an immediate problem.' Bissen has amended Bill 9 to now call for a three-year phaseout of the 6, 100 vacation rentals to give owners time to either sell to local residents or rent to them long term. He called sales to local residents 'ideal ' and long-term rental agreements 'also a good idea.' The wildfires exacerbated Maui's housing shortage and led many landlords to increase rental prices. Some landlords who had long-term rental agreements with residents evicted them in order to take advantage of higher rates they could charge by taking in fire survivors and, in some cases, nearly double their income, Bissen said. 'It's almost like looting when somebody jacks up prices when there's a need, ' Bissen said. 'I don't know how we punish all those landlords.' Most—94 %—of the people who own the 6, 100 short-term vacation units that would be converted live outside Maui, meaning the units represent second or third homes for them, Bissen said. Only 6 % are Maui County residents, said Bissen's executive assistant, Matt Jachowski. Bissen's proposal has the support of many residents and received unanimous approvals by planning commissions on Maui, Molokai and Lanai. It's drawn opposition from property owners like Loretta Ross, a 68-year-old retiree from San Diego who has owned her ocean-view, studio apartment in the three-story, 67-unit Hale Ono Loa condo complex along Lower Honoapiilani Highway for 20 years. The short-term rental market was first hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, then again in the aftermath of the wildfires and has continued falling ever since Bissen proposed outlawing vacation rentals last year for owners like Ross, she told the Star-Advertiser. 'Property values have dropped 30 %, ' she said. And her business has fallen, too. Ross used to charge $259 a night but cannot get bookings even after dropping her rate to $159. The potential passage of Bill 9 has scared away potential buyers who also would want to use her condo as a rental business, Ross said. 'I've had it listed for over a year, but my agent said no one's buying anything, ' Ross said. 'I'm on Social Security and I'm running out of savings.' Her monthly costs, including mortgage, taxes and association fees add up to $4, 000 a month that Ross doubts a local family could afford for a studio apartment. 'No one's going to pay that, ' she said. So if Bill 9 passes, 'it would probably have go into foreclosure as much as I love it and I've been blessed to have it. It would be like the nail in the coffin.' Bissen expects the Housing and Land Use Committee to hold two or three sessions of all-day hearings to listen to testimony in support for and opposition to Bill 9. The committee's made up of all nine Council members and its vote could foreshadow how the full Council decides the fate of Bill 9. In April, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization estimated that banning 6, 127 short-term vacation rentals could have profound economic implications for Maui County, including the loss of 1, 900 jobs, $900 million in annual visitor spending and $60 million in property tax revenue by 2029. General excise tax and hotel room tax revenues also could fall, adding up to $15 million annually, according to UHERO. But Bissen said Maui still needs workers and the county's $1.5 billion budget could be adjusted to absorb 'some losses.' Overall, he said, 'the benefits outweigh the negatives.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversial STR bill to be heard by Maui Council June 9
WAILUKU, Hawaii (KHON2) — The Maui County Council will have a public hearing on June 9 to discuss whether to phase out thousands of vacation rentals on the island. Mayor Richard Bissen introduced Bill 9 over a year ago, after the Lahaina fire pushed the housing crisis to the forefront. He is expected to make remarks at the hearing. E-bike bill on Governor Green's intent to veto list Maui's Housing and Land Use Committee Chair Tasha Kama recently made amendments to the bill including delaying the phase out until 2030, and exempting existing timeshare units. If passed without the chair's amendments, thousands of vacation rentals that have been operating under a grandfathered legal clause also called the Minatoya list, would not be allowed to operate anymore. The group Lahaina Strong has been waiting for this bill to pass ever since the fire and is asking for the community to submit testimony before Monday's Minatoya list was established in 2001 and includes Maui condo properties that were grandfathered for legal short-term rental use despite being zoned as apartments. 'The Minatoya list is very densely located in south and west Maui,' explained Lahaina Strong member Jordan Ruidas. 'We're talking about 6,000 rentals, they are in apartment-zoned areas but operating short term rentals under an exemption. So we're asking the Maui County Council to retract this exemption in hopes this will help bring more long term owners and long term renters.' She said residents are in dire need of housing. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news 'We've already lost so many people already, you can see the restaurants, the hotels, the shops, all needing workers but workers can't work if there's no housing. So we need to help fix this housing crisis first and I think it will help make the workforce be more steady,' she added. Multiple studies have been done regarding the controversial issue including tourism impacts. 'It would take Maui County 30 years to build its way out of this housing crisis, and that's not even taking into consideration the big water issues that we have, so this is a way to bring housing online quicker than build, build, build,' Ruidas added. People can testify in person, online or by phone. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. at the county building. The committee could choose to advance the bill, amend it, stall it or send to full council with recommendations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Cision Canada
5 days ago
- Politics
- Cision Canada
BILL 9, MUNICIPAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, 2025 Français
TORONTO, June 6, 2025 /CNW/ - The Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy will meet to consider Bill 9, An Act to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Act, 2001 in relation to codes of conduct. The Committee intends to hold public hearings in London on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Niagara Falls on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Barrie on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Ottawa on Thursday, July 17, 2025, and in Thunder Bay on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Interested people who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation to the Committee are required to register by: 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, for London and Niagara Falls; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, for Barrie; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, for Ottawa; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, for Whitby; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, for Thunder Bay; Those who do not wish to make an oral presentation but wish to comment on the bill may send a written submission by 6:00 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, August 11, 2025. To register or send a written submission, please visit the following link: An electronic version of the Bill is available on the Legislative Assembly website at The Committee will stream live from location when available. For the link to the webcast, and to find times and availability, please visit the Legislative Assembly website at
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
BILL 9, MUNICIPAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, 2025
TORONTO, June 6, 2025 /CNW/ - The Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy will meet to consider Bill 9, An Act to amend the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Municipal Act, 2001 in relation to codes of conduct. The Committee intends to hold public hearings in London on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Niagara Falls on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Barrie on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Ottawa on Thursday, July 17, 2025, and in Thunder Bay on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Interested people who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation to the Committee are required to register by: 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, for London and Niagara Falls; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, for Barrie; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, for Ottawa; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, for Whitby; 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, for Thunder Bay; Those who do not wish to make an oral presentation but wish to comment on the bill may send a written submission by 6:00 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, August 11, 2025. To register or send a written submission, please visit the following link: An electronic version of the Bill is available on the Legislative Assembly website at The Committee will stream live from location when available. For the link to the webcast, and to find times and availability, please visit the Legislative Assembly website at Collect calls will be renseignements sont disponibles en français sur demande. SOURCE Legislative Assembly of Ontario View original content:
