Maui County Council Meeting: Bill 9 Public Hearing and Vote (Dec 15, 2025)

The Maui County Council convened on December 15, 2025, for a special meeting to conclude the public hearing on Bill 9, legislation designed to phase out transient vacation rentals (TVRs) in apartment districts to restore long-term housing. The session featured extensive public testimony from nearly 30 individuals, including local residents, ILWU union members, real estate professionals, and representatives from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. While a significant portion of testimony emphasized the urgent need to address housing shortages for fire survivors and local workers, strong opposition was raised regarding potential economic devastation, revenue loss, and procedural shortcomings prior to a unanimous vote.

Consent Calendar

• No items listed in the transcript for this segment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Leslie Brown: Expressed strong opposition to Bill 9, arguing it would not produce long-term housing and fearing it would force property sales to institutional buyers like Blackstone due to lawsuits preventing bank loans.
• Emmanuel Baltazar: Expressed full support for Bill 9 on behalf of ILWU Local 142 and the Philippine community, stating it is a top priority to help hotel workers find schedules as short-term rentals displace them.
• Honorato Martinez Jr. (ILWU Local 142 PAC Chairman): Expressed full support, noting the bill will help thousands of hotel workers and families displaced by recent fires.
• Jacqueline Tavares: Expressed support for Bill 9 as a full-time business agent and hospitality worker, believing it will aid hotel workers and their families.
• William Forsyth: Expressed full support, arguing the bill will increase hotel zone occupancy rates from roughly 60% to 90% and return apartment zoning to its intended purpose for local families.
• Merlinda Valdez: Expressed support for passing the bill, citing 28 years of tourism industry work and the need for housing.
• Delilah Salcedo: Expressed support for Bill 9, noting many friends are sacrificing rent and cannot afford living costs due to current housing issues.
• Delia Badua: Expressed support, sharing how housing costs force her children to move, with one paying $4,000 monthly for a three-bedroom apartment in Wailuku.
• Richard Pronta: Expressed full support for Bill 9, citing personal experiences with transient rentals violating property rules (smoking, unauthorized guests) and the loss of neighborhood safety.
• Lynette Pendergast (President, Realtors Association of Maui): Expressed opposition to Bill 9 in its current form, recommending the council adopt Temporary Investigative Group (TIG) recommendations first to address procedural uncertainty and economic risk.
• Bree Matthews: Expressed strong opposition to Bill 9 as a short-term rental owner, citing a projected loss of $56.9 million in transient accommodation tax revenue and $82.8 million in property tax revenue, questioning the financial plan to replace lost funds.
• McKenna Woodward (On behalf of Office of Hawaiian Affairs): Expressed full support for Bill 9 without exemptions, stating it is necessary to correct zoning, prioritize residents over speculation, and return up to 6,127 units to long-term housing supply.
• Rachel Coles (Lahaina Fire Survivors): Expressed support for Bill 9, highlighting that 5,000+ residents remain displaced and that the tourism industry is volatile, urging a shift away from short-sighted economics.
• Jordan Hawker (Maui Housing Hui): Expressed strong opposition to the narrative that Bill 9 harms the economy, arguing that 37-42% of renters are rent-burdened and that the bill addresses the causal link between STR saturation and high rental prices.
• Kelly Coa (On behalf of Maui Vacation Rental Association): Expressed opposition to Bill 9, warning that the bill closes a chapter but does not resolve issues, and that proceeding without TIG recommendations exposes owners and workers to harm.
• Leana Yi Kaio (Seilani O Maui): Expressed support for Bill 9, asking the council to vote for the people and honor their ancestors.
• Terry Zager: Expressed opposition to Bill 9, arguing it is not a sufficient solution despite offering a condo in 2030 to those displaced, and citing high fees and lack of infrastructure in her community.
• Jerome Bosch: Expressed opposition to Bill 9, arguing it will not place units in local hands as intended, citing a specific condo that sold to an out-of-state investor planning to keep it as a vacation rental.
• Jenny Hendrix: Expressed opposition to Bill 9, arguing it reallocates existing housing without increasing supply, which fails to address affordability for the local workforce.
• Paul Carter: Expressed full support for passing Bill 9, calling it a necessary step to "cut out the cancer" of over-reliance on tourism and focus on diversifying the economy.
• Alison Hendrickson: Expressed opposition to Bill 9, warning that reducing short-term rentals will hurt the local economic ecosystem, including small businesses like her shave ice shop that rely on visitor flow.
• Bob Clifford: Expressed opposition to Bill 9, arguing that small units like his (studio with high fees) cannot support families and that the bill does not address specific unit types effectively.
• Molly Palmer: Expressed opposition to Bill 9's current timeline, citing insufficient infrastructure planning for traffic, wastewater, and medical care required for transitioning to higher-density residential use in Kihei.
• Jeff Gilbert: Expressed opposition to Bill 9, stating that eliminating short-term rentals will not materially aid the hotel industry and that the economics of converting to long-term rental are unrealistic for many owners.
• Pamela Tunpop: Expressed opposition, stating the bill is "half-baked" and requires TIG recommendations to be adopted first to mitigate economic risk and address unit size/parking mismatches.
• Johan Lal: Expressed support for Bill 9, encouraging the opposition to remain engaged on future infrastructure and housing supply issues while acknowledging community division.
• Stephanie Smythe: Expressed support for Bill 9, asserting apartment zones are residential, not hotel zones, and that converting them creates jobs for the existing hotel workforce shortage.
• Andrew Church: Expressed strong opposition to Bill 9, citing structural flaws, projected loss of $80 million annually in tax revenue, and the fact that his units are in flood zones unsuitable for long-term housing.
• Ron Ciliado: Expressed support for Bill 9, prioritizing "people over profit" and stating that short-term rentals should not exist in a disaster-prone environment.
• Karen Smart: Expressed opposition, arguing the bill is actually about curbing tourism, not solving housing, and will force more residents to leave the island while the economy sinks.
• Julian E.E.: Expressed full support for Bill 9, framing the issue as a cultural imperative to keep Hawaii as Hawaii, prioritizing land and water access over revenue.
• Anonymous Online: Expressed opposition, warning that the bill will accelerate institutional consolidation (e.g., Blackstone) rather than returning homes to locals, and noting the political nature of some advocacy groups.
• Edward Cordelia: Expressed support for Bill 9, calling it a necessary correction to restore local zoning control against a powerful industry.
• C. Rose Riley: Expressed support for Bill 9, emphasizing that it is the minimum needed for Lahaina fire survivors and a step toward transitioning away from unsustainable development.
• Brian Whitman: Expressed opposition to Bill 9 as a standalone solution, proposing a companion "Bill 9B" to stimulate low-cost, legacy-style housing construction.
• Rochelle Kapu: Expressed support for Bill 9, urging the community to move forward through the devastation of Lahaina and criticizing delays caused by repetitive testimony.
• Corey McKim: Expressed opposition to passing Bill 9 now, warning it puts the cart before the horse and could lead to the end of small businesses during an economic recession.
• Charles Andrion: Expressed support for Bill 9, stating it will provide meaningful benefits for local families.
• Elizabeth Ray: Expressed strong support for Bill 9 from a Lahaina resident unable to attend in person, sharing the trauma of displacement and pleading for compassion for fire survivors.
• Jackie Keefe: Expressed support for Bill 9 as a housing advocate for fire survivors and persons with disabilities, arguing that profit regulation is necessary and that new tax revenues can replace lost TAT.
• Misty Cotter: Expressed full support for Bill 9, emphasizing the need to prioritize the local Kanaka community over profits and non-residents.
• Olivia Cotter: Expressed support for Bill 9, urging the council to remember where they come from and support the people who steward the land.
• Sanie Dennis: Expressed support, asking the council to decide for the people of Maui who live and sustain the island, not outsiders.
• Nicole Galindo: Expressed support, acknowledging she lives in a condo on the exemption list but arguing that denying housing because of minor infrastructure issues (like parking) is wrong.
• Maurice Priest: Expressed caution, suggesting Bill 9's broad stroke inclusion of high-value oceanfront condos may be struck down in court, and urged the county to use federal disaster funds for new affordable housing on surplus land.
• Travis Legent: Expressed support, encouraging the council to vote "yes with reservations" to ensure a unanimous vote, which could save money on future legal challenges.
• Christina: Expressed support, sharing her experience of being bullied out of affordable housing in an apartment zone.
• KC (Testifier Name Not Fully Transcribed): Expressed support, thanking the community for their persistence and acknowledging the council's difficult position.
• James Forrest: Expressed support, specifically thanking unions for their advocacy and urging continued support for local workers over luxury development.
• JC Law: Expressed support, noting the Hawaiian concept of "Kolo Paulu" protecting commoners' rights.
• Stephen West (ILWU): Expressed full support, calling the bill the first phase of recovery and urging a unanimous vote to prioritize children and Hawaiians.

Discussion Items

• The council reviewed testimony regarding the economic viability of short-term rentals versus long-term housing.
• The council noted the discrepancy between the projected timeline for Bill 9 implementation (5 years) and the ability of communities to prepare infrastructure and economic alternatives.
• The clerk advised the council to keep questions concise to ensure the meeting concluded before recesses became necessary.
• A discussion occurred regarding the decorum of filming and recording in the gallery.

Key Outcomes

• Public testimony for Bill 9 was concluded and closed by the Chair.
• The public hearing was adjourned; the meeting continued into a special council session to deliberate on the bill.
• No vote tally or final decision on Bill 9 is recorded in this specific transcript segment, as the meeting was still in progress during the testimony phase.
• Discrepancy Note: The transcript ends mid-sentence during the transition to the special meeting agenda ("Council, would you like to ask if there are any"), preventing confirmation of the final vote result or next steps within this specific text.