Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, September 16, 2022
​Maui housing bill seriously flawed in July, and even more so now
By Grassroot Institute @ 10:13 PM :: 2061 Views :: Maui County, Development, Land Use, Cost of Living

Maui housing bill seriously flawed in July, and even more so now

An amendment seeks to subsidize homebuyers, leaving open whom would qualify and how much taxpayers would be in for

News Release from Grassroot Institute, Sept 15, 2022

An affordable housing bill that was "recommitted" by the Maui County in July is coming back for review on Tuesday, but the bill is still seriously flawed, if not worse than before.

In July, Joe Kent, institute executive vice president, submitted written and oral testimony regarding Bill 107, which at the time sought only to establish “a new method of determining the sales price of an affordable dwelling unit," by including "the total housing costs associated with home ownership such as principal, interest, taxes, homeowner’s insurance, private mortgage insurance and homeowner’s association dues.” 

Kent said at the time that the bill, "though well-intentioned, could cause homebuilders to stop building affordable homes … because [it] would reduce the sale price of a home by approximately 20% to 22%, which would virtually wipe out any profit homebuilders currently enjoy and significantly reduce the financial incentive for homebuilders to invest in projects."

Now the bill is back, more complicated and problematic than ever, stating additionally that it would create a program to "subsidize homebuyers when a developer does not receive direct County subsidies."

In his latest testimony, Kent pointed out that such subsidies would either be "insufficient to cover homebuilders’ losses due to the price cap, or would commit the County to massive spending increases. The latter option is probable, since the subsidy’s design is unclear and the cost of producing housing on Maui continues to increase." 

He concluded: "In light of the uncertainty surrounding the financial aspects of Bill 107, I suggest the Council take the time to study the full potential effects of this ordinance on the local economy and Hawaii’s housing market as a whole. Rushing this bill through would only create heavy-handed and costly regulations — the opposite of what is needed to provide more housing for Maui residents."

Meanwhile, we are reminded of the words of the great French economist Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850): "We have tried so many things; when shall we try the simplest of all: freedom?"

---30---

July 24, 2022: Affordable? Maui Price Fixing Bill 'Recommitted'

 

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT