The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Hawai‘i County Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs on July 9, 2024.
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July 9, 2024, 2:30 p.m.
Hawai‘i County Building
To: Hawai‘i County Council, Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs
Cindy Evans, Chair
Sue Lee Loy, Vice-Chair
From: Joe Kent, Executive Vice President
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
RE: Resolution 556-24 — A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TO PROCURE A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON THE ECONOMIC AND FISCAL IMPACTS OF THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATION RENTAL INDUSTRY IN HAWAI‘I COUNTY
Aloha Chair Evans, Vice-Chair Lee Loy and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its support for Resolution 556-24, which would request the Hawai‘i Department of Research and Development to study the economic effects of short-term rentals in Hawai‘i County.
Because the County is considering a new regulatory framework for short-term rentals, it would be wise to gather necessary information — such as job, wage, income and housing-related statistics — before acting on the proposed new rules.
Several studies on short-term rentals in Hawaii have indicated they provide relatively large numbers of jobs and substantial tax revenues for the state and counties.[1]
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Joe Kent, Executive Vice President
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] “State of Hawai‘i and Maui Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the Short-Term Rental Industry,” prepared by Kloninger & Sims Consulting LLC for the Travel Technology Association, June 12, 2024; and “Hawaii’s Home and Vacation Rental Market: Impact and Outlook,” prepared for the Hawaii Tourism Authority by JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, April 20, 2020.
