Council lifts the mayor’s veto on the hotly debated moratorium on visitor accommodation


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The Maui County Council tonight voted to lift Mayor Michael Victorino’s veto on one of the most hotly debated moves in recent times: a break in building more visitor units on Maui while studies of over-tourism can be conducted.

After a spate of passionate public testimony from morning to night, the council decided to lift the veto by 6-3 votes, with councilors Alice Lee, Yuki Lei Sugimura and Tasha Kama disagreeing.

Bill 148, which comes into force upon approval, provides for a moratorium on new transitional units until the council implements the recommendations of a temporary tourism management research group, or in two years, whichever comes first.

The rule does not affect existing accommodations or those that have been definitively approved before the vote.

Victorino expressed “disappointment” with the decision after the meeting, but added that he intended to make “maximum use” of the two-year hiatus.

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“We need to go ahead and focus on the future of our people and our commitment to economic diversification and recovery from this crippling pandemic,” he said in a press release tonight.

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Bill 148 was designed to curb the under-regulated growth of temporary accommodation associated with an increase in tourism, “which has a negative impact on the environment, overwhelms the county’s existing infrastructure and has a negative impact on the quality of life of residents,” it said of legislation.

However, Victorino said there was a lack of transparency and public input and vetoed the measure in late December after it was approved by the Council in its second and final reading on December 3rd. He also said the move would encourage illegal vacation rentals.

However, councilors today referred to many previous meetings where the public strongly supported the moratorium. They reiterated that the bill will retain existing units and that previous moratoriums have been successful.

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“We have to change the paradigm and change our economy,” said Vice-Chair of the Council, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, before the vote. “We’re in a crisis as we all know, how we’ve heard from our witnesses, how we’ve heard from the community, how we see it on social media, we read it all the time.”

However, Chairman Lee said that in order to effectively diversify the economy, revenues need to be diversified.

“And nobody, and I mean nobody, came up with a single idea of ​​how to replace the revenue from the visitor industry,” she said before the vote.

Lee added that the visitor industry generates more than 50 percent of real estate revenue. The county raises approximately $ 385 million and the visitor industry contributes more than $ 200 million.

“So for all of their mistakes, we have to be careful how we cut this industry down before we have something to replace it with,” she said.

The council’s decision tonight capped many months of solid public support and passionate opposition from industry leaders over whether a break in building new units will help tackle overtourism.

“So many have testified – some of us four or five times now,” said Sara Tekula, of Maui, who was among more than 50 witnesses on the subject today. “Go ahead with the will of the people.”

Proponents of the moratorium say Maui has been overwhelmed by tourists with arrivals approaching pre-pandemic levels. They raised concerns about the impact of visitors on the quality of life, infrastructure and environment of residents, and the need for economic diversification.

Critics, meanwhile, say that the construction industry and other local jobs will be negatively impacted, that the moratorium will not prevent tourists from coming, and that illegal rentals will increase as a result.

The bill, introduced by Rawlins-Fernandez in June, puts a moratorium on new temporary accommodations – including hotels, timeshares, short-term rentals and temporary vacation homes – across the island of Maui.

Councilors passed a moratorium on building permits for visitor shelters in south and west Maui, originally proposed by Councilor Kelly King, last July, but the mayor vetoed it. The council later decided not to override the veto due to legal concerns with the bill.

“I started hearing Maui residents’ dissatisfaction with the growing number of tourists during my first tenure on the council, but it took a more progressive body to actually support the idea of ​​a moratorium,” King said after today’s meeting. “A break is needed to stop the problems of excessive tourism from worsening while we develop solutions that work for all Maui Nui residents.”

Councilor Tamara Paltin said ahead of the vote that everyone must work together to find solutions to the negative effects of tourism.

“It’s not just up to the (temporary investigation team) to find all the solutions to the problems that have existed for decades,” she said. “And brainstorming about solutions should never end with the end of the TIG. . . . It is up to everyone who is passionate about developing and proposing solutions and working on solutions together with us. “

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