Bill 108 will hurt residents
Concerning the short-term vacation rentals bill currently under consideration by the County Council, the facts are as follows.
I did a study using the residences of the Big Island as a base and the tax bill address as a reference, and 82 percent of all Big Island residences are owned by Hawaii state residents.
This study excluded all condos, vacant land and commercial properties.
The people of Hawaii will be victimized by this bill, and I am sure there are just as many complaints about activity in our county parks as there are about vacation rentals, but we are not closing the parks.
The majority of the money that short-term vacation rentals earn gets spent here, and the transient accommodation taxes and general excise taxes get paid.
Over-regulation is not the answer to the rental housing problem.
Allan Kroll
Volcano
Preserve PONC fund
I was shocked to read in the Tribune-Herald (Oct. 16) about the proposal to drastically reduce the “PONC” (Public Access Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission) fund.
As a Big Island shore-caster and member of several fishing organizations, I have noted the loss of three ocean access locations in just the past year, with several more in the planning stages.
And this Charter Commission subcommittee, unaware of these losses and not being ocean users, with the Hilo mayor talking out of both sides of his mouth, want to reduce the size of the PONC fund from 2 percent to 1 percent or even one-half percent.
Speaking for all of the ocean users, we need to increase the ocean access now before the developers have their way with the land. Thus the need for the continued 2 percent funding.
In sum, we fishermen oppose the motion to reduce the PONC funds.
William J. King
Hilo
