LIHU‘E — After a recent series of failed votes on housing measures, proposals to address the affordable housing crisis were back on the table at Wednesday’s Kauaʻi County Council meeting.
Councilmembers put forward two new resolutions and one bill aimed at increasing the access to funds for the construction of affordable housing.
Resolution No. 2022-36, which passed unanimously, would let the council draw from the county’s reserve fund for affordable housing needs.
“This would allow us a deeper tool chest to deal with our affordable housing crisis,” said Councilmember Billy DeCosta, who introduced the resolution with Councilmember Bernard Carvalho.
The funding, which could not exceed more than 20% of the total fund, could be used to “to acquire or fund affordable housing projects.”
Councilmember Felicia Cowden introduced an amendment to increase the amount of time allotted to restore money used for affordable housing from one year to two, which was accepted in a 4-3 vote.
Council Vice Chair Mason Chock and councilmembers Luke Evslin and KipuKai Kuali‘i joined her in support of the amendment.
DeCosta and Carvalho also introduced Resolution No. 2022-35, which offers a commitment, albeit a non-binding one, to use 2% of real property tax revenues to fund affordable housing by amending the 2017 structurally balanced budget resolution.
Councilmembers described the measure as a framework, and clarified it can be overruled by council.
“Council can go to budget and not abide by it if they want, if they have four votes,” said Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro.
This resolution also passed unanimously (resolutions do not require second reading or a public hearing to be adopted).
Evslin and Chock also introduced a Proposed Draft Bill No. 2888, which could provide a more binding commitment to affordable housing, in the form of the same 2% commitment through the county code.
Supporters see the bill as an opportunity to help the county’s Housing Agency with long-term planning and allow them to access revenue bonds.
“The intent is to provide another tool for large infrastructure development, especially when we’re sitting on this large acreage we’re trying to develop,” said Evslin.
This is similar to a measure voted down by the council in August, which would have done this by changing the County Charter through a public vote.
Former mayor JoAnn Yukimura weighed in on the housing measures, offering skepticism of the resolutions, which she described as “insufficient vehicles for earmarking housing appropriations,” and support for the bill.
Yukimura said the bill came closer than any other proposal to allowing the “earmark of funding for affordable housing without the inflexibility of a charter amendment, which worried the administration and council members.”
The bill passed first reading unanimously and was referred to committee. A public hearing is set for Oct. 19.
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