RAM GAD POD

This episode is actually a couple years in the making. Back in December 2020, the Maui County Council passed Ordinance 5160, which resulted in as many as 1,400 properties getting automatically re-classified as short term rentals for property tax purposes, regardless of their actual use. The legislation was pushed through pretty quickly, but RAM opposed it at the time and encouraged people to appeal after it was passed. Thankfully, a few impacted property owners reached out to Honolulu-based law firm Chun Kerr LLP, and their case was recently resolved with the help of attorney Winston Wong. In this episode, Winston is kind enough to tell us about the case, explain why the law is unconstitutional, and he describes how to determine if you were unfairly impacted by this law. 

If you own or sell condos that can be used as short term rentals, you should definitely listen to this episode. However, this is a pretty interesting episode overall, so I think most people should enjoy it. 

Mahalo,

Jason

In this episode we chat with Nohe Uu-Hodgins, who is running for the Makawao-Haiku-Paia seat on the Maui County Council. Nohe is a lifelong resident of Paia, with deep roots in the Maui community. In our conversation we learn a bit more about Nohe, her motivations for running, and some practical ideas she has to improve conditions for our residents and provide more housing. Though it doesn't come up in the episode, I want to share a quote from Nohe's campaign page that seems to sum up a lot of my discussion with her: "We can be pro-housing, without being anti-environment, and we can work together to create solutions that serve our community today with respect for our culture and our place." If you want to learn more about Nohe, visit votenohe.com.

Mahalo,

Jason

In this episode we hear from Yuki Lei Sugimura, incumbent for the Upcountry seat on the Maui County Council, who is currently seeking reelection. In this episode we discuss housing policy, economic diversification, and learn a bit more about Yuki Lei Sugimura as a person. If you enjoy this conversation, you might also like the longer interview I conducted with Councilmember Sugimura back in February 2020. Alternatively, to learn more about Yuki Lei Sugimura and here campaign, I encourage you to check out her website: http://www.yukileisugimura.com/. 

Mahalo,

Jason

In this episode we hear from Richard Bissen, retired 2nd Circuit Court Judge, about his campaign for Maui County Mayor. At this point you've all probably seen his signs and heard his ads, but in this interview we ask him about housing policy, economic diversification, and his thoughts on the budget process. If you want to learn more about Judge Bissen and his campaign I encourage you to check out his website: https://bissenmovement.com/.

Mahalo,

Jason

In this episode I chat with Councilmember Kelly Takaya King to discuss her run for Maui County Mayor, and learn her thoughts on housing policy, economic diversification, and the budget. If you want to learn more about Kelly King and her campaign please visit her website: https://www.kellykingformaui.com/. Similarly, you can also listen to the interview we did together way back in February 2020. 

Mahalo,

Jason

First and foremost, let me apologize for my personal audio in this episode. My mic malfunctioned and I didn't find out until after. Still, Mike Molina's audio is great, and he does most of the talking. By the way, in this episode I chat with Councilmember Mike Molina, who is currently running to be the next Mayor of Maui County. Fans of the show might remember that I interviewed Councilmember Molina way back in December 2019, and interestingly enough, I think I asked him about a run for Mayor way back then. In this interview, we touch on his ideas to address affordable housing and economic diversification, as well as his thoughts on recent additions to the Star Wars universe. If you want to learn more about Mike Molina and his campaign for mayor, I encourage you to check out his campaign website: https://www.votemikemolina.com/

Mahalo for listening, and please subscribe to the podcast for more interviews. 

Jason

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Jason ( A.K.A. Jack) Schwartz, candidate for the Kahului residency seat on the Maui County Council. Jason might be familiar because he has been a candidate for office several times in the past, and he is also the host of a popular show on Akaku called The Neutral Zone. If you want to learn more about Jason Schwartz and his run for Maui County Council, I encourage you to visit his campaign website: MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou.us [Note: This might be my favorite campaign website domain name ever].

Mahalo for listening, and please subscribe to the podcast if you want more interviews like this. 

Jason Economou

In this episode, I chat with Alana Kay, candidate for Maui County Mayor. Alana was a pleasure to chat with, and she shares a lot in this interview, but to learn more about her and her policies in detail, I encourage you to visit her campaign website: www.alanakayformayor.info

Mahalo for listening, and please subscribe to the podcast if you want to hear more interviews from the candidates. 

Mahalo,

Jason

As always, thank you for listening!

Recently I circulated a little essay I wrote regarding upcoming real property tax changes for Maui County, and it generated a lot of questions. In particular, folks wanted to learn more about Bill 129 and the long-term rental real property tax exemption it creates. This episode covers your questions, addresses some possible scenarios where the exemption would apply, and discusses some of the potential negative impacts the legislation might have. Since this episode gets into some details that might be difficult to follow, I'll also link to the script in Thursday Things.

Enjoy!

Jason

Today's guest is Jeff Gilbreath, Executive Director of Hawaiian Community Assets. Jeff and his team have been tasked with creating Maui County's Affordable Housing Plan, and we want you to get involved! Please visit www.MauiHousingPlan.org to sign up for virtual community meetings, share your thoughts via the Housing Plan Survey, sign up for updates, or take the pre-qualification assessment. Similarly, if you are interested in learning more about Hawaiian Community Assets or getting involved with their work, please visit www.HawaiianCommunity.net. 

Mahalo,

Jason

I've been a fan of Deborah Caulfield Rybak's writing since I first moved to Maui and saw her articles in Maui Time, so I was excited to see that she recently started her own blog at politicsonmaui.com to continue reporting on local politics. After Deborah accidentally sent me one of her recent articles on "dark money" in the local elections, I reached out to see if I could get her on the show to talk about the election results. Thankfully Deborah is awesome and she was happy to come on and chat. If you've been liking the casual feel of the more recent episodes, you'll definitely like this one. This is one of those interviews that reminded me of how lucky I am that I get to do this as part of my job. Even on issues we disagreed on, Deborah was a pleasure to communicate with. Deborah Rybak is someone you should all be following, and I sincerely hope you enjoy getting to hear from her on this episode. 

Mahalo,

Jason 

Lately, the majority of the questions I've been getting all relate to the proposed charter amendments that will be on the Maui County ballots this election cycle. The charter amendments can get pretty complicated and there are a lot of folks trying to tell us how to vote, but not many people are explaining what the charter amendments actually are or how they will impact us. In this bonus episode I do my best to try and explain the charter amendments in a fairly objective manner without necessarily telling you how I think you should vote. I hope this is helpful and I encourage you to share it if you do find it helpful. More information on the charter amendments can be found at http://mauicounty.us/maui-county-charter/

I only learned about Na Hale O Maui a couple of years ago when I took on my role as Government Affairs Director for RAM. At the time it seemed like a good program, but I honestly didn't give it much thought. Nevertheless, as I've progressed in my role at RAM and learned more about the circumstances surrounding our severe lack of affordable housing inventory, I find myself thinking about Na Hale O Maui more and more. In fact, I've grown to think that programs like Na Hale O Maui may be our best hope in preserving affordable housing stock on Maui for future generations, and I am deeply concerned that we may not realize that until it is far too late. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to get Cassandra Abdul on for an interview to discuss her program and to see if we can get some renewed support from the REALTOR community. Cassandra has been in real estate for most of her adult life, and she holds an active real estate broker's license in Hawaii. Cassandra is an incredibly sweet person, but also an ardent advocate for her program and an extremely knowledgeable real estate professional, so this was a great conversation. Na Hale O Maui was founded by RAM members, and I sincerely hope RAM members sign up to be members of Na Hale O Maui after listening to this episode. If your interested, follow this link!

Alberta de Jetley is running for Maui County Council, and I think we should all vote for her. In this episode, I have a nice long conversation with Alberta and we learn a lot about her background and what she plans on accomplishing if she wins in November. I've had the pleasure of having a few long conversations with Alberta at this point, and I am still surprised at how much more there is to learn about her every time. What struck me as most interesting from this interview is her incredibly diverse professional background, as well as her depth of knowledge concerning our County and the problems it has faced over the years. Given those two factors alone, I think she is a great candidate for the Lanai seat and she has my full support. If you want to learn more about Alberta or contribute to her campaign, check out her website www.albertadejetley.com  

[If you want to skip the intro, jump to the 6:15 mark.]

Mahalo,

Jason

Today's guest is Claire Kamalu Carroll, Candidate for the Maui County Council's East Maui seat. Claire is the daughter of former Councilmember Bob Carroll, and a legitimately good candidate in her own right. I'll be honest and admit that I was already leaning toward voting for Claire Carroll early on purely based on the fact that her competitor, Councilmember Shane Sinenci, refuses to meet with RAM and ignored multiple invitations to participate in our candidate interview process. That inclination was solidified and reinforced after getting to know Claire a little more. Given Claire's determination, work ethic, concern for the community as a whole, and her willingness to communicate and share ideas, I think she is a great candidate for Maui County Council. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it, and I hope you learn something too. If you want to skip the intro, try jumping to the 4:29 mark!

When a candidate tells you that they are "pro-business" you generally don't expect them to spend most of the interview talking about the importance of education and community service, but that is what happens when you talk to Rick Nava. Rick is currently running to represent West Maui on the Maui County Council, and he also happens to be an awesome person! In this episode we talk a lot about Rick's background, his long history of community service, his ideas for revitalizing Maui's economy, and Rick also dispenses some great life advice. All politics aside, I think it is hard not to like Rick Nava if you take the time to give this a listen. If you want to know more about Rick's campaign, visit VoteRickNava.com.

If you want to skip over the intro, jump to the 7:30 mark. 

-Maui Time Covid 19 Updates: https://mauitime.com/maui-county-corona-virus-updates/

-Mayor Victorino's Public Health Emergency Rules: https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/121453/County-of-Maui---Public-Health-Emergency-Rules?bidId=

- State Covid 19 page: https://hawaiicovid19.com/

- Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times: https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Estate-Agents-Tackle-Tough/dp/0071605266

NAR Coronavirus Emergency Legislation Update: https://www.nar.realtor/political-advocacy/coronavirus-emergency-legislation-what-realtors-need-to-know

The Maui News Covid-19 Closures: https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2020/03/coronavirus-outbreak-continues-to-shake-up-maui-events-and-facilities/

CDC Email Updates: https://tools.cdc.gov/campaignproxyservice/subscriptions.aspx?topic_id=USCDC_2067

Hawaii DOH Covid-19 Updates: https://tools.cdc.gov/campaignproxyservice/subscriptions.aspx?topic_id=USCDC_2067

Please note that I recorded this episode before learning that the Hawaii State Legislature has suspended its session, so that is why I did not reference it in the recording. 

Maui County STRH Phase-Out Proposal: Here is the link to the Planning Department's presentation from March 6th, and here is a link to the MVRA Facebook page with videos from the meeting. Overall, the meeting was a bit disappointing. The Planning Department did not take public testimony, and the arguments presented were not very well thought out. I give a recap in the episode, but the basic gist is that the meeting not particularly informative.

Maui County Council action on Short Term Rental Homes: This Friday, March 13th, at 9 a.m, there will be a County Council Meeting. One of the agenda items is County Communication 20-194. This item is asking the Council to refer to the Maui and Lanai Planning Commissions a proposed bill to amend the comprehensive zoning ordinance relating to Short Term Rental Home Permits on Mai and Lanai. The proposed bill would amend Maui County Code Chapter 19.65 by drastically lowering the number of available STRH permits in the various community areas. This is not as drastic as the Planning Department's idea to ban Short Term Rental Home permits, but it would certainly keep a lot of operations from becoming compliant, because it would essentially set the cap at the current number of permits. How's that for frustrating the original intent of the ordinance...

SB3110: I've gotten a lot of calls about SB3110 and I completely understand why Realtors are concerned. This bill seeks to prohibit nonresident aliens and businesses, and trusts that are significantly controlled by nonresident aliens, from acquiring certain residential property in the State, except as otherwise provided by law. This bill still has several hurdles to overcome before it becomes law, but I do encourage you all to track this measure and to provide testimony when it gets scheduled for its first committee hearing. 

Covid-19: Tonight, March 11, 2020, at 7 p.m.,  Mayor Michael Victorino will be discussing updates on COVID-19 and answering some frequently asked questions during his Holo I Mua television show airing tonight at 7 p.m. on Akaku Blue Channel 55. Please watch, and please check out some additional guidance for REALTORS that has been provided by NAR. Additionally, if you want to check out some really compelling data related to Covid-19, I highly recommend this article by Tomas Pueyo that was recently posted on Medium.com. My advice: please avoid unnecessary social contact and unnecessary travel, please be cautious not to potentially spread the virus to those who might be particularly vulnerable, and please take this virus seriously. I wish this was a hoax from the main stream media, but it isn't! This virus is having a devastating impact on modernized countries with advanced healthcare systems, it is a very real threat to us all. 

Mahalo for listening!

Don Couch and I had so much fun recording last week's podcast episode that he invited me back on his radio show on 1110 AM. This "Bonus" episode is audio from this morning's episode of On the Couch with Don Couch and Jack Gist. Our conversation primarily focused on the Planning Departments potential "phase-out" of Short Term Rental Home permits, and we let everyone know how they can get involved. If you have not done so already, please participate in RAM's Call For Action to OPPOSE a ban on LEGAL Short Term Rental Homes by clicking on this link.

Mahalo,

Jason

This is my CALL FOR ACTION special! The Planning Department is considering a "Phase-out" of LEGAL Short Term Rental Home Permits, and we think that is a bad idea based on bad arguments. The first 10 minutes of this episode gives an overview of the issue, then I have a longer discussion of the issue with my guest, Don Couch. PLEASE give this episode a listen, and plan on showing up on Friday, March 6th, at 3:00 p.m. to the Planning Departments Public Information Meeting Regarding STRH Phase-Out Proposal in the Planning Conference Room located at 250 South High Street, Wailuku, 6793. 

Mahalo,

Jason

Opportunity to Testify: The Environmental, Agricultural, and Cultural Preservation Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, February 18th, at 1:30 p.m., to discuss a bill restricting the use and sale of single-use plastic disposable foodware. I support this legislation, and I encourage you all to look into it and provide your own testimony on the issue. From a policy standpoint, RAM believes our island’s well being depends on our beaches and RAM supports the maintenance of a robust beach environment as a key to a sustainable long-term plan for Maui. Reducing litter and the proliferation of micro-plastics throughout our island is an important step in protecting our beaches and I commend the County Council for moving in that direction.

West Maui Community Plan -  The West Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee has two meetings scheduled for next week. Agendas should be available on the CPAC webpage by the end of this week, but dates are as follow:

Wailuku Community Association - Upcoming 2020 Annual Wailuku Community Association Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12th from 5-7 p.m. at the Empanada Lady restaurant. The guest speaker will be Erin Wade discussing the 1st phase of infrastructure updates in Wailuku and alternate parking locations.

Habitat for Humanity 12th Annual Build-A-Thon - Mark your calendars for Friday, Feb. 21st and Saturday, Feb. 22nd for Habitat Maui’s annual Build-a-Thon. The Build-a-Thon is a public awareness and fundraising event. Participants are asked to raise a minimum of $100/person in pledges and spend a day on the construction site helping Habitat build affordable housing in Lahaina. Lunch, snack, and door prizes will be provided, and available times are from 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. To sign up or for more information call (808) 242-1140 or email yvonne@habitat-maui.org.

Opportunity to Testify - One of my goals for the year is to inform the RAM community of more opportunities to testify on issues you may be interested in, even if RAM might not be taking a position on the issue. Increased civic engagement on the part of our members is the key to demonstrating RAM’s values, and enhancing our profile as an organization. With that in mind, I encourage you all to look at the agenda for the upcoming Governance, Ethics, and Transparency Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st, at 9 a.m. In particular, there are a couple of proposed charter amendments that the committee will be considering. The first (GET-10(3)) would require an increase in the minimum required percentage of certified real property tax revenues deposited into the Affordable Housing Fund, and the second (GET-10(7)) would establish shorter lifetime term limits for council members of two four-year terms. Both of the proposed amendments would need to pass through committee and the full council, then be included on the general election ballot, prior to becoming law, but they are interesting ideas that are still worth examining and testifying on. If interested, you can send testimony by email to get.committee@mauicounty.us

West Maui Community Plan -  The West Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee has two meetings scheduled for next week. The first will be on Tuesday, January 21st at 5 p.m. in Keopuolani Hall at Waiola Church, and the second will be on Thursday, January 23rd at 5:30 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center Social Hall. Agendas have not been posted for either meeting yet, but last week the CPAC started on the Growth Framework portion of the West Maui Community Plan update and began examining alternative growth maps for West Maui (which are available on the CPAC Page at wearemaui.org). If you are interested in the future of West Maui, or you just want to learn more about the community plan process, please consider attending these meetings.

The County is Hiring: County Clerk and Deputy County Clerk - The County of Maui is recruiting for the full time positions of County Clerk and Deputy County Clerk. If interested, you can download the application at:  https://tinyurl.com/CountyClerkApp, and Submit your completed application, résumé, cover letter, and three professional references by email to recruitment@mauicounty.us by 4:30 p.m. HST on January 16, 2020. If you want more details regarding the functions of the job or required qualifications,  you can find links at mauicounty.us

Heads up on HAR Priority Bill - RAM and the Hawaii Association of Realtors are currently advocating for a bill that would streamline the land use process for affordable housing projects by allowing the counties to reclassify lands that are 15 to 100 acres, provided that 50% or more of the units are affordable at or below 140% of the Area Median Income. We believe this legislation will better empower the counties to meet their affordable housing needs while streamlining the regulatory process as it relates to district boundary amendments. The bill can largely be credited to RAM’s own Lawrence Carnicelli, and you can expect to hear more about it throughout the legislative session. The reason I bring this up is because I will be calling on everyone to provide testimony in support of this legislation over the coming months, and I don’t want it to be a surprise when I do. Please feel free to email me at jason@ramaui.com if you have any questions.

Over the past few months I have been talking a lot about the County's real property tax reform efforts. Back in November, the County Council passed two bills that would have the effect of redefining and consolidating several of the property tax classifications, as well as creating a new tiered property tax system. RAM consistently opposed these bills because the Council did not engage in sufficient community outreach and education prior to passing them.  Last week, Mayor Victorino agreed with RAM's position and vetoed Bill 59 related to consolidating tax classifications. 

On Friday, December 27th, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., the County Council will hold a special meeting to discuss and override the Mayor's veto. In this episode of the RAM GAD POD I invite you all to provide your input to the County Council regarding this issue, and I share the Mayor's letter and my testimony on behalf of RAM. Here is a little sample of my testimony:

Throughout the process of preparing and passing Bill 59, public sentiment has consistently been that the Council should conduct more education and outreach prior to its passage. The Council has been somewhat responsive to these calls for more outreach by going out and holding community meetings, but that is a step that should have been taken prior to passage of the Bill, as opposed to after the fact. The Mayor has given this Council an opportunity to get more community buy-in while highlighting a major concern regarding this legislation, and the Council should not pass it up.

As the Mayor pointed out in his letter dated December 19, 2019, the new “non-owner occupied” classification combines four very different existing classifications that currently all have different rates. Without knowing what the Council might propose as the new rate for the new “non-owner occupied” class, there is too much uncertainty for our taxpayers. If the Mayor’s calculations are even close to correct, it means some taxpayers will likely see sharp increases or decreases in their tax rates with no real express legislative purpose other than to make things less complicated for the County. Our taxpayers deserve a more thoughtful legislative process that involves their input.

On November 22, 2019, the day Bill 59 was passed, everyone testifying in the chamber asked the Council to conduct more education and outreach prior to passing Bills 58 and 59. Though the Council passed both bills in spite of public sentiment, you have been given another opportunity to listen to your constituents and provide the education they have been requesting. I understand that the Council is trying to accomplish a difficult task, but the public should be involved throughout this process, and not just after the fact.

On November 22, Councilmember Rawlins-Fernandez asked how much education is necessary to pass any sort of bill. There is no one answer to that question, but it should be more than a couple of community meetings the week of second and final reading, or after the bill has been passed. It should be enough to help taxpayers understand if and why the County will take more of their hard-earned money. It should be enough to make us confident that you have our best interest in mind and that you know what you are doing. It should be enough to make the Mayor’s veto unnecessary. It should be more than was conducted for Bill 59. Therefore, I respectfully request that the Council NOT override the Mayor’s veto, and focus instead on crafting better legislation with public involvement.

Please provide testimony on your own behalf as well!

Mahalo,

Jason

Real Property Tax Reform: As you are aware, Bill 58 and Bill 59, relating to tax classifications and tiered real property tax rates, passed in the Council a few weeks back. Nevertheless, there was a lot of testimony that spoke to a need for more public outreach and education prior to implementing the framework outlined in these pieces of legislation. With that in mind, on Friday, Dec. 13 from 9-11 a.m., RAM will be hosting Councilmember Alice Lee for a presentation regarding the Council’s real property tax reform efforts, followed by a question and answer session.

Water Shut Down in Paia and Kuau: Tonight, Thursday, Dec. 12 all customers on the County water system in Paia and Kuau will have their water shut off from approximately 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. (Friday morning). Depending on the conditions encountered while work is being conducted, customers in Sprecklesville may also be affected. Please store water and plan accordingly.

Central Maui Landfill: Beginning Sunday, Dec. 15 the landfill will begin opening on Sundays for residential green waste disposal only from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. No commercial green waste or commercial/residential trash will be accepted. Please note that illegal dumping of green waste is commonly linked to the spread of invasive species, and should be avoided.

West Maui Community Plan: The next Community Plan Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Waiola Church’s Keopuolani Hall, and it will focus on a final review of policies and actions related to all five Goals of the Community Plan. Agenda and other information available at www.wearemaui.org.

Economic Outlook: NAR recently held its Real Estate Forecast Summit and the information shared was generally pretty optimistic. A group of prominent real estate industry economists that attended released a consensus forecast that projects continued but slowing economic growth in 2020. NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, stated that he believes real estate to be “on firm ground with little chance of price declines,” but he cautioned that “more supply is needed to assure home prices as well as rents do not consistently outgrow income gains.” Overall, a recession is seen as unlikely in 2020, but it is not completely out of the question.

100 Real Estate Agents Who Care: Pohaku Kepler is a senior at Kihei Charter School and his goal is to get 100 REALTORS to donate $100 each in order to raise $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity. All the money raised will go towards helping families right here in Maui County. Check out www.100RealEstateAgentsWhoCare.com for more information and to donate.

REALTOR Party Mobile Alerts: REALTORS, please sign up for mobile alerts by texting the word “REALTOR” to the number 30644. This is an easy way to ensure you are in the loop next time RAM needs your help.

Maui Landlord Series: Due to the success of our annual Landlord Summit, RAM and the Maui Homeless Alliance are organizing a series of workshops to educate landlords and get them working with housing assistance programs. The first workshop is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9, from 9 - 11 am at MEO. This Maui Landlord Series workshop will feature a HUD informational session as well as a landlord/tenant rights panel discussion. Moreover, we will also be accepting food donations for the Maui Food Bank. If you know any landlords or property managers who might be interested in attending, please have them register for this free event at eventbrite.com.

SMA and Shoreline Rules Changes: The Planning Department will be holding informational meetings on proposed changes to the SMA and shoreline rules for Maui island. At these meetings, representatives from the Planning Department will give an overview of the proposed changes and the rationale behind them, answer questions, and take input and suggestions. The meetings will begin at 5 pm, and the dates and locations are:

The proposed rules and some Frequently Asked Questions can be found at https://www.mauicounty.gov/121/Planning-Department under "Hot Topics." Also available there is the presentation that Dr. Chip Fletcher gave to the Maui Planning Commission on October 22.

100 Real Estate Agents Who Care: Pohaku Kepler is a senior at Kihei Charter School and his goal is to get 100 REALTORS to donate $100 each in order to raise $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity. All the money raised will go towards helping families right here in Maui County. Check out www.100RealEstateAgentsWhoCare.com for more information and to donate.

Real Property Tax Reform: Bill 58 and Bill 59, relating to tax classifications and tiered real property tax rates, passed in the Council on second and final reading. Nevertheless, there was a lot of testimony that spoke to a need for more public outreach and education prior to implementing the framework outlined in these pieces of legislation. With that in mind, on Friday, December 13th, from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., RAM will be hosting Councilmember Alice Lee and Marcy Martin for a presentation regarding the Council’s real property tax reform efforts, followed by a question and answer session. This event is free for RAM members, and we ask that you please register to attend through the Paragon MLS homepage

Maui Landlord Series: Due to the success of our annual Landlord Summit, RAM and the Maui Homeless Alliance are organizing a series of workshops to educate landlords and get them working with housing assistance programs. The first workshop is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9, from 9 - 11 a.m. at MEO. This Maui Landlord Series workshop will feature a HUD informational session as well as a landlord/tenant rights panel discussion. Moreover, we will also be accepting food donations for the Maui Food Bank. If you know any landlords or property managers who might be interested in attending, please have them register for this free event at eventbrite.com.

SMA and Shoreline Rules Changes: The Planning Department will be holding informational meetings on proposed changes to the SMA and shoreline rules for Maui island. At these meetings, representatives from the Planning Department will give an overview of the proposed changes and the rationale behind them, answer questions, and take input and suggestions. The meetings will begin at 5 p.m., and the locations and dates are as follows:

The proposed rules and some Frequently Asked Questions can be found at https://www.mauicounty.gov/121/Planning-Department under "Hot Topics." Also available there is the presentation that Dr. Chip Fletcher gave to the Maui Planning Commission on October 22.

REALTOR Party Mobile Alerts: REALTORS, please sign up for mobile alerts by texting the word “REALTOR” to the number 30644. Aside from the initial confirmation text, you will only receive notifications when a call for action is initiated, a reminder regarding voter registration, and a reminder to vote in the upcoming elections. This is an easy way to ensure you are in the loop next time RAM needs your help.

100 Real Estate Agents Who Care: Pohaku Kepler is a senior at Kihei Charter School and his goal is to get 100 REALTORS to donate $100 each in order to raise $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity. All the money raised will go towards helping families right here in Maui County. Check out www.100RealEstateAgentsWhoCare.com for more information and to donate.

West Maui Community Plan: The next CPAC meeting will be on Tuesday, November 19th at Waiola Church’s Keopuolani Hall at 5:30 p.m., and will focus on policies and actions related to Goal 2.3: Responsible Stewardship of Resources, Culture and Character. There will also be a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 21st at King kamehameha III Elementary School Cafeteria, which will focus on policies and actions related to Goal 2.2: A Complete, Balanced and Connected Transportation network. Agendas and additional information can be found at www.wearemaui.org.

SMA and Shoreline Rules Changes: The Planning Department will be holding informational meetings on proposed changes to the SMA and shoreline rules for Maui island. At these meeting, representatives from the Planning Department will give an overview of the proposed changes and the rational behind them, answer questions, and take input and suggestions. The meetings will begin at 5 p.m., and the locations and dates are as follows:

The proposed rules and some Frequently Asked Questions can be found at https://www.mauicounty.gov/121/Planning-Department under "Hot Topics."  Also available there is the presentation that Dr. Chip Fletcher gave to the Maui Planning Commission on October 22.

REALTOR Party Mobile Alerts: REALTORS, please sign up for mobile alerts by texting the word “REALTOR” to the number 30644. Aside from the initial confirmation text, you will only receive notifications when a call for action is initiated, a reminder regarding voter registration, and a reminder to vote in the upcoming elections. This is an easy way to ensure you are in the loop next time RAM needs your help.

100 Real Estate Agents Who Care: Pohaku Kepler is a senior at Kihei Charter School and his goal is to get 100 REALTORS to donate $100 each in order to raise $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity. All the money raised will go towards helping 2-4 families right here in Maui County. Check out the “100 Real Estate Agents Who Care - Maui” Facebook page for more information.

Real Property Tax Reforms: (ACTION REQUESTED) On November 8th, the County Council will be considering several changes to the County’s real property tax system. The most significant change is a tiered structure for property taxes, but the Council will also be discussing revised classifications and doing away with condominium declarations to the Department of Finance. The plan to get rid of annual condo declarations to the department of finance is VERY BAD, and it could have some major ramifications on tax rates and affordable housing.

I mentioned this last week, but I failed to convey proper distress about the issue of doing away with these condo declarations to the department of finance, that was a mistake. I need to give credit to Tom Croly, who you might know from his work with the Maui Vacation Rentals Association, for cluing me into what I was missing. Some of you may recall that the County tried something along these lines about 2 years ago, and RAM played a major role in stopping it. If these bills move past the first reading, we may need to have a call for action to stop them again.

The key issue we should be alarmed over is that one of the property tax reform bills, referred to as the classifications bill, “eliminates the need for condominium owners to declare the actual use of their units to the Department of Finance. Instead, condominium units will be classified based on their highest and best use unless an exception applies.” Well, based on this there are about 2,000 apartment-zoned condominium owners that may get stuck paying the “short term rental” tax rate unless they qualify for the owner-occupied exception.

If you are a RAM member, you should be aware that we advocate for taxation based on actual use, rather than highest and best use. Moreover, RAM takes a position that this “highest and best use” method of taxation will have a negative impact on the inventory and affordability of long term rentals in such properties. I encourage you all to submit written testimony via email to county.clerk@mauicounty.us, and feel free to copy your County Council members on those emails. Moreover, I encourage you to testify in person on Friday, November 8th at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers on the 8th Floor, 200 South High Street.

Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019.

West Maui Community Plan: There are two Community Plan Action Committee meetings this week. The first meeting is Tuesday, November 5th at Waiola Church’s Keopuolani Hall at 5:30 p.m., and the second meeting is Thursday, November 7th at King Kamehameha III Elementary School Cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. For meeting agendas and more details visit www.wearemaui.org.

Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils, and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building.

Public Hearing Regarding Unpermitted Vacation Rentals: The Planning Department has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 5:00 pm at the Kalana Pakui conference room, 250 S. High Street, Wailuku, regarding amending the Department’s rules relating to fines for unpermitted transient vacation rental operations. The proposed amended rules would significantly increase the limits of civil fines for unlawful operation of a transient vacation rental.

Real Property Tax Reforms: On November 8th, the County Council will be considering several changes to the County’s real property tax system. The most significant change is a tiered structure for property taxes, but the Council will also be discussing revised classifications and doing away with condominium declarations to the Department of Finance. For further information check out Council’s 3 Minutes from this past weekend, and check the agenda when it gets posted to the Council’s calendar.

Consolidated Plan Survey: The County is seeking public input for the 2020-2024 County of Maui Consolidated Plan Survey. The deadline to complete the survey is October 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m.

Hele Mai Maui 2040 Transportation Plan: The Hele Mai Maui 2040 Transportation Plan is available and open for public review until October 31, 2019. To comment directly on the full plan, follow this link. In addition to commenting on the plan, you can also take a survey regarding transportation projects and funding by following this link.

Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. There will also be a Special Meeting of the Board of Water Supply on November 4, 2019 at 9 a.m. in the Planning Department Conference Room, at which time they will also accept testimony related to comments on the Draft EIS.

Wailuku First Friday Celebrates Dia de los Muertos on November 1st: SMALL TOWN * BIG ART, a collaboration of the National Endowment of the Arts, County of Maui and Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society, is proud to support Wailuku First Friday’s Día de los Muertos community event on Friday, November 1, 2019. For more information, check out the SMALL TOWN * BIG ART website.

Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils, and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building.

This is a Notes from the GAD episode, but I also read an article by Robert H. Thomas originally published here: https://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2019/10/who-is-in-charge-at-the-county-of-maui-scotus-oa-hinges-on-internal-dispute-over-who-can-settle.html

Here are the Updates:

Wet Maui Community Plan: There will be two meetings of the Community Plan Advisory Committee this week. The first is on Tuesday, October 22 at Waiola Church’s Keopuolani Hall, and the second will be on Thursday, October 24 at the Lahaina Intermediate School Cafeteria. Both meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will focus on policies and actions for all five Goals in the Community Plan. Agendas are available at www.wearemaui.org .

Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. Those submitting comments should send them to the approving agency (Board of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii, Mr. Ian Hirokawa, ian.c.hirokawa@hawaii.gov, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813) and copy the applicant and consultant (Wilson Okamoto Corporation, 1907 S. Beretania Street, Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96826, Mr. Earl Matsukawa, AICP, waterleaseeis@wilsonokamoto.com).

FHA Condo Rules: The new FHA Condo Rules went into effect on October 15th. The rule changes will make condominiums a more accessible option for homebuyers that rely on FHA financing. For more information, follow this link to a video from NAR. While you are at it, you should also check out their update on the NFIP, and if you have detailed questions that don’t get answered, reach out to Austin Perez at NAR. That guy is a magical genius when it comes to this stuff.

FY 2021 Mayor’s Community budget Meetings: Mayor Victorino is holding his final scheduled community meeting regarding the FY 2021 budget. The final meeting will be in East Maui/Hana - 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 28th, at Helene Hall

Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building.

RAM GAD POD: Available on most platforms! Just Google RAM GAD POD and take your pick. This week’s guest will either by Lawrence Carnicelli, or I may be uploading audio from the panel I was on at the Maui Nui Attainable Housing Conference.

Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. Those submitting comments should send them to the approving agency (Board of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii, Mr. Ian Hirokawa, ian.c.hirokawa@hawaii.gov, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813) and copy the applicant and consultant (Wilson Okamoto Corporation, 1907 S. Beretania Street, Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96826, Mr. Earl Matsukawa, AICP, waterleaseeis@wilsonokamoto.com).

FHA Condo Rules: The new FHA Condo Rules go into effect on October 15th. The rule changes will make condominiums a more accessible option for homebuyers that rely on FHA financing. For more information, follow this link to a video from NAR.

FY 2021 Mayor’s Community budget Meetings: Mayor Victorino is still holding community meetings throughout Maui County. The remaining meetings are: Molokai - 3:30 p.m., Monday, October 21st, at the Mitchell Pauole Community Center; Lanai - 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 22nd, at the Hale Kupuna O’ Lana’i; East Maui/Hana - 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 28th, at Helene Hall

Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building.

RAM GAD POD: Available on most platforms! Just Google RAM GAD POD and take your pick. This week’s guest will be Mayor Michael Victorino.

The Lahaina Injection Well Case: At 9:00 am, on Friday, September 20th, in the Council Chamber, the County of Maui will host a Public Hearing on the subject of “Authorizing Settlement in Hawaii Wildlife Fund, et. al. v. County of Maui, Civil 12-00198 SOM BMK, U.S. Supreme Court Case 18-260.” This will run concurrently with the County Council meeting that same morning. Here is a link to the Committee Report with the actual resolution, and here is a link to a recent radio broadcast discussing the issue further.

Haiku Community Association: Holding its third meeting of 2019 on Wednesday, September 18th from 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm at the Haiku Community Center. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food donations for the Maui Food Bank. For more information visit haikumaui.org.

Kihei Community Association: The KCA will be holding a public meeting at St. Theresa Church, at the corner of Lipoa Street and South Kihei Road, at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, September 17th. The meeting will feature Kevin Richards from the Hawaii Hazards Awareness and Resilience Program, and will focus on emergency preparedness. They will also be collecting non-perishable donations for the Maui Food Bank as well. For more information, visit gokihei.org.

Maui Climate Strike: Friday, September 20th at 4 pm there will be a youth-led rally and sign waving event at UHMC.

Beach Cleanup:  Maui Huliau Foundation is hosting a youth beach cleanup on Saturday, September 21st from 9-11 a.m. in honor of International Coastal Cleanup Day. They will be cleaning the beach along Kahului Harbor. Check out https://mauihuliaufoundation.org for more information and to RSVP. You can also check out Sharkastics.org for info on the Ka’ehu Cleanups on the 4th Sunday of every month (the 22nd)

RAM GAD POD: Available through most apps. Next episode will be with Dave DeLeon.

Maui MPO: The Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization is having a Technical Advisory Committee Meeting on Monday, September 16th at 2:00 p.m., in the planning conference room at 250 South High Street. Agenda items include election of Chair and Vice Chair and discussions of the Hele Mai Maui 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan.

Kihei Community Association: Next community meeting is September 17, 2019, from 6:30-8:00 at Saint Theresa Church at 25 West Lipoa Street.

Wailuku Improvements: Phase 1A of the Wailuku Civic Complex project is set to begin in September. Updates on Wailuku construction, along with mitigation efforts that will be implemented during construction, can be found at www.WailukuLive.com. The County will be hosting its next meeting on changes to the Commercial Mixed-use Zoning district of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area Zoning and Development Code on September 27th: 250 S. High Street – Kalana O Maui Building, Planning Conference Room, 1 pm. (Maui Redevelopment Agency Meeting)

NFIP: Without Congressional action, the National Flood Insurance Program will expire at midnight on Monday, September 30th. NAR is working to secure long term reauthorization. To assist REALTORS, NAR has created a FAQ Sheet to address some common concerns.

Toxic Substance Control Act Reminder: Two real estate companies recently settled cases with the U.S. EPA for violating the TSCA by failing to provide proper lead-bases paint disclosures to buyers and renters of homes built before 1978 on Maui and the Big Island. The Disclosure Rule requires sellers and lessors of pre-1978 homes to provide prospective buyers and tenants with a federal brochure about lead-based paint, any information known about lead-based paint in the home, and a warning statement about the potential dangers of lead-based paint.

Mayor Victorino and the RAM GAD: Recently I had the pleasure of appearing on Mayor Victorino’s show on Akaku to discuss the Lahaina injection well issue. After the GET Committee’s vote on Friday to settle the case, Mayor Victorino has asked me to join him on KAOI radio this Thursday at 7 a.m. for further discussion. I will try and upload our conversation as a bonus RAM GAD POD episode this week.

RAM GAD POD: This week’s interview is with Michelle Del Rosario, REALTOR and Executive Assistant to Council Chair Kelly King.