From: Dick Mayer September 2, 2021
TO: Chair Gabe Johnson and members of the Affordable Housing Committee
RE: AH-14(3) EFFECTIVELY PROMOTING THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR MAUI COUNTY RESIDENTS
I first want to state my enthusiastic support for the establishment of this list to help get our residents into affordable housing. I wish to compliment Council Member Gabe Johnson for initiating this process, and all council members for considering implementing this idea. Nevertheless, I wish to raise a number of questions that need to be answered to make this list workable, efficient, fair, and productive.
1. Are there requirements as to how long a home purchaser must stay in the unit?
Are there requirements as to how long a renter must stay in the unit?
2. How are geographic regions defined? By community plan district? by County Council Residency districts?
3. Rather than waiting till well into the process, the lottery should be held at the beginning to establish a known prioritization. Then periodically for new names, a lottery should be held perhaps every two years to add names to the list.
4. What is to be considered the income? Family income or Household income? This becomes important when there are adult children or other relatives living in the household. Is the word “family” defined anywhere in this ordinance?
5. Who is allowed to sign up to get on the list: a family leader? Each individual in the family? Children who may be adults when their name comes up?
6. At the end of each of the two ordinances dealing with rentals and purchases, there is a requirement for various documents to be submitted. What is to be done with those documents are they to be reviewed? Are there penalties for non-submittal?
7. What happens to a family whose income does not qualify them for a particular unit because there are no more available at that income level? Are they put at the end of a list? Placed at the top of the next list?
8. There should be a provision to give the Housing Department the power to establish rules to make this list workable, fair, efficient, and productive.
9. This list should be applicable to all affordable housing in the county. That would include a) county-built housing; b) private 201 h projects such as the Wailuku Apartments, c) regular projects such as Atherton's Waikapu Town: and d) projects being built by non-profit entities such as Catholic Charities.
10. Priorities will be given in this ordinance to people who have lived in Maui for a longer period of time. Exactly how will it be determined when they began living in Maui County? Is it from when they file their State income tax return? Get their driver's license? Pay a first utility bill? Register to vote?
11. To avoid nepotism and favoritism, there should be a requirement to post up-to-date housing interest lists on the County’s website.
To protect the interest of the community and to create easy access to housing opportunities, I support the County of Maui establishing and maintaining a master list of those interested in rental or for purchase homes. This would assure fairness in assuring everyone has a chance to find a decent and affordable home.
100% in favor of bills for the right to Housing and Shelter
Dr Mary
Kihei HI 96753
From: Dick Mayer September 2, 2021
TO: Chair Gabe Johnson and members of the Affordable Housing Committee
RE: AH-14(3) EFFECTIVELY PROMOTING THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR MAUI COUNTY RESIDENTS
I first want to state my enthusiastic support for the establishment of this list to help get our residents into affordable housing. I wish to compliment Council Member Gabe Johnson for initiating this process, and all council members for considering implementing this idea. Nevertheless, I wish to raise a number of questions that need to be answered to make this list workable, efficient, fair, and productive.
1. Are there requirements as to how long a home purchaser must stay in the unit?
Are there requirements as to how long a renter must stay in the unit?
2. How are geographic regions defined? By community plan district? by County Council Residency districts?
3. Rather than waiting till well into the process, the lottery should be held at the beginning to establish a known prioritization. Then periodically for new names, a lottery should be held perhaps every two years to add names to the list.
4. What is to be considered the income? Family income or Household income? This becomes important when there are adult children or other relatives living in the household. Is the word “family” defined anywhere in this ordinance?
5. Who is allowed to sign up to get on the list: a family leader? Each individual in the family? Children who may be adults when their name comes up?
6. At the end of each of the two ordinances dealing with rentals and purchases, there is a requirement for various documents to be submitted. What is to be done with those documents are they to be reviewed? Are there penalties for non-submittal?
7. What happens to a family whose income does not qualify them for a particular unit because there are no more available at that income level? Are they put at the end of a list? Placed at the top of the next list?
8. There should be a provision to give the Housing Department the power to establish rules to make this list workable, fair, efficient, and productive.
9. This list should be applicable to all affordable housing in the county. That would include a) county-built housing; b) private 201 h projects such as the Wailuku Apartments, c) regular projects such as Atherton's Waikapu Town: and d) projects being built by non-profit entities such as Catholic Charities.
10. Priorities will be given in this ordinance to people who have lived in Maui for a longer period of time. Exactly how will it be determined when they began living in Maui County? Is it from when they file their State income tax return? Get their driver's license? Pay a first utility bill? Register to vote?
11. To avoid nepotism and favoritism, there should be a requirement to post up-to-date housing interest lists on the County’s website.
To protect the interest of the community and to create easy access to housing opportunities, I support the County of Maui establishing and maintaining a master list of those interested in rental or for purchase homes. This would assure fairness in assuring everyone has a chance to find a decent and affordable home.