Vacation rental bill advances
Ed Rapoza and Charla Thompson present testimony to the county council panel on Bill 108, the vacation rental bill,
Tuesday at the West Hawaii Civic Center. LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY
REVISED BILL PASSED BY PANEL RECONCILES NEIGHBORHOOD, AIRBNB CONCERNS
BY NANCY COOK LAUER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com
HILO — A bill regulating vacation
rentals took a big step forward
Tuesday, clearing a council
panel on its way to two final votes.
Bill 108, more than a year
in the making and now on its
fifth draft, passed the council
Planning Committee on a 6-1
vote, with Puna Councilwoman
Eileen O’Hara voting no and
Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung
and Puna Councilwoman Jen
Ruggles absent.
“This bill was in no way meant
to ban vacation rentals but to protect
neighborhoods,” North Kona
Councilwoman Karen Eoff said.
“We do have to start somewhere;
we’re the only county in the state
that doesn’t have regulations.”
Planning Director Michael
Yee asked the council to keep
the bill on track.
“Hawaii was special way before
Public testimony is given before the county council panel
regarding Bill 108, known as the vacation rental bill, Tuesday
at the West Hawaii Civic Center. LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY
vacation rentals came into play.
Every major tourist town is looking
at how to find the right balance,”
Yee said. “The idea of not
striking a balance today or finding
a path would be a mistake.”
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Mayor Harry Kim defended
council members who were taking
heat from some disgruntled
vacation rental operators.
“The administration asked
the council to do this,” Kim said.
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“This bill was in no way
meant to ban vacation
rentals but to protect
neighborhoods. We do
have to start somewhere;
we’re the only county
in the state that doesn’t
have regulations.”
NORTH KONA COUNCILWOMAN
KAREN EOFF
“This is no different from regulating
any other business. … This
is about zoning for the island,
which is needed. We cannot allow
our businesses to go on without
regulation. … This was something
that should have been regulated a
long time ago.”
Among those praising the
SEE BILL PAGE 6A
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT DEEMS ORCHID ISLE BEST WINTER VACATION DESTINATION
Settlement
reached
in HPA
sex abuse
lawsuit
BY TIFFANY DEMASTERS
WEST HAWAII TODAY
tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com
KAILUA-KONA
— A federal civil lawsuit
against Hawaii
Preparatory Academy in
a case involving a former
teacher accused of sexually
abusing a student two
years ago was officially dismissed
last month.
A settlement between
the school and plaintiffs,
identified as John Roe I,
Jane Roe I and John Roe
II, was reached over the
summer and the case was
dismissed Sept. 9 in U.S.
District Court in Honolulu.
“Although there were a
number of factual disputes
and allegations denied
by HPA, this matter was
resolved out of court this
summer,” HPA’s Head of
School Robert McKendry
stated in a letter issued
Monday to students and
parents. “The details of
this lawsuit and its resolution
are confidential and
prohibit us from addressing
specifics of this case.”
On Monday, the plaintiffs’
counsel Bruce Voss
said little about the
settlement.
“The case was amicably
resolved,” he said, declining
further comment.
Hawaii Preparatory
Academy is a private
boarding school located
in Waimea. There
are approximately 600
students who attend the
institution. According to
the school’s website, tuition
ranges from $20,650
to $26,800. That does not
include boarding.
The lawsuit was filed
in federal court on May
SEE HPA PAGE 6A
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Big Island a winter hot spot
KAILUA-KONA — The Big
Island’s a hot spot when it’s cold
elsewhere in the world.
With its unique geography
offering up everything from
snow-covered peaks, black and
green sand beaches and lush
rainforests to an active volcano,
Hawaii Island is a popular choice
for travelers during the winter
months.
On Tuesday, U.S. News &
World Report named Hawaii’s
southernmost island the 2018-
19 Best Winter Vacation spot in
the world, beating out 19 other
locales on the list of the top 20
global destinations.
“It’s about time they figured it
out,” said Hawaii Island Visitors
Bureau Executive Director Ross
Birch speaking from Las Vegas
where he is promoting Hawaii
Island at the IMEX America, an
exhibition for incentive travel,
meetings and events.
BY CHELSEA JENSEN
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
Kayakers enjoy paddling around Keauhou Bay. LAURA
RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY SEE VACATION PAGE 5A
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