Happy Holidays to all! Final update for 2019
Happy holidays!
As we close out 2019 (and my first year in elected office), I just want to send out a huge mahalo to all of you for the support, feedback, and engagement in the issues. As I reflect on the year, I’m really happy that we were able to achieve so much together. My one regret is that other than bringing down the cost of housing, my core reason for running was to do more to reduce carbon emissions on Kaua’i and prepare for the impacts of climate change—and I have barely moved the needle. While there have been some successes, there is so much more that needs to be done at every level. My New Year’s Resolution for 2020 is therefore to double down on island-wide mitigation and adaptation efforts (along with getting better at putting my phone away when I’m with my kids!). If you’ve got policy ideas or have seen inspirational policies from elsewhere, please send them over!
In other news…
1) The final bill of our ARU incentive package passed on Wednesday! Which means that the entire package will be going into effect. It brings the permitting cost from $10k-$20k down to $0 for an Additional Rental Unit as long as the homeowner commits to keeping it affordable for 5 years. Click here for more info on the entire package. The final bill of the package (click here for more info on it specifically) allows ARUs to be built on Rice St—which ensures that property owners in our commercial center can take advantage of the fee waivers. This is a key component of reducing the cost of housing island-wide, along with preserving open space and ag land, ensuring that people who want to live close to where they work can afford to do so, reducing carbon emissions, ensuring the viability of local businesses on Rice St, and giving our aging population more options to age at home close to services. As you can tell by the 7,534 emails I’ve sent on the topic—I’m pretty excited about it.
2) Our bill to define and allow tiny houses in all zoning districts passed unanimously on Wednesday! That means our building code will be updated soon to allow more flexibility in the design and construction of small footprint houses—allowing for lofts, low ceilings, access to the lofts, and egress from them. I’m also excited about this, and would love to hear if you all know of anyone who ends up taking advantage of it. Click here for more info on the bill.
3) Three weeks ago our resolution urging the Board of Water Supply to reduce the Facilities Reserve Charge for smaller footprint homes, multi-family homes, and certified Affordable ARUs passed unanimously. And, just yesterday the Board of Water voted to reduce the FRC from $14,115 to $9,880 for guest houses and ARUs. There is still a lot more to be done to ensure that the FRC is charged equitably, but I’m really happy that the Board took such quick action.Click here to review the Resolution we sent over.
4) An op-ed written by Councilmember Chock and myself published in The Garden Island last week explaining the rationale and intent behind our bill to ensure that all TVRs are taxed at Vacation Rental rates ($9.85 per $1k assessed value). I want to be clear that our bill is NOT the same as the bill recently passed by the City and County of Honolulu which charges all vacation rentals (including homestays and B&Bs) at the Resort rate ($13.90 per $1k assessed value). Click here to check out the op-ed and click here to check out a brief Powerpoint explaining what the bill does.
5) I just updated my website for a complete list of bills and resolutions I’ve introduced or co-introduced this year. It has details on the bills including their current status. You can check it out here. And, if you know anyone that might be interested in receiving these periodic email updates—please encourage them to sign up to receive emails here.
6) Lastly, almost none of the above policies appeared in any form in our local newspaper. So, if you're interested in staying up to date on everything happening at council or important activity occurring in various boards and commissions-- check out the policy site Eye on Kauai. She does a great job of attending every meeting and putting out good articles with policy explanations, an overview of the dialogue, and final vote count on every issue.
Have a great holiday season and a happy new year! Thanks again for all you do and for staying engaged in the issues (and for making it to the end of my always-too-lengthy emails).
Aloha,
Luke