We had a great turnout for our annual meeting. Thank you to everyone who came out on this rainy night to attend. We like seeing you! A big mahalo to Boardmember Michael Baskins for donating the catering from Surf Club Tacos, the food was incredible, the service was commendable. To experience more Surf Club Tacos please go to 65 Hana Hwy, Paia, HI, 96779, 808-579-3333 , https://surfclub.com/.

MVRA Annual Report 2020

February 6, 2020

Major Accomplishments

1. MVRA lived another year – four out of five board members were new

2. Hired and Trained, Executive Director, Jen Russo

3. Created and Launched new Website – www.mauivacationrentalassociation.org

4. 19 STR permits granted, 29 B&B permits granted

   1. Total: 229 STR permits, 156 B&B permits

   2. Total net difference from 2018 to 2019: 7 STR permits and 17 B&B permits - What this means is 14 B&B permits and 12 STRH permits were closed out, not renewed or expired without renewing during 2019. 

5. Published newsletters and updates to membership

6. Created private Facebook group page and MVRA Facebook page

7. Advocacy, Testimony, Meetings, Alliances

   1. 9 County Council meetings

   2. All Planning Commission meetings either attended in person or reviewed video/tape record

   3. 12 Testimonies presented in person or written in

   4. 6 County Council meetings attended

   5. 1 Board of Variances and Appeals attended

   6. 1 Annual Community Council of Maui meeting attended and presented

   7. 1 Meeting with AirBnB, 1 presentation at Community Council of Maui

   8. 4 Planning Committee meetings attended

   9. All Community Plan meetings attended or reviewed

   10. 2 Mayor’s Press Conferences attended

   11. 4 Community Association meetings attended.

   12. 10 MVRA Board meetings

8. Went from 0 to 60 paying members

9. Helped to keep Paia/Haiku STR’s renewable and existing applications (already in the pipeline) viable

10. Helped to lessen property tax rate increase from proposed $15/$1000 assessed value to $10.

Unsuccessful Endeavors

1. New rule instituted mandating renewal applications be submitted 60 days or more prior to permit expiration date. 

2. Reduced cap for STR permits in Paia/Haiku area from 88 to 55

3. Lost ability to apply for STR permit within the Shoreline Management Area in Paia/Haiku district.

4. Molokai passage through Planning Committee (by unanimous vote) of an STR cap of Zero, and a sunset for existing permits in as few as 90 days. First Reading at full Council, tomorrow (Friday). 

Goals for 2020

1. Modify or stop current and near future legislation threatening existing STR renewals

2. Modify or stop reduction of STR’s in the Lahaina Historic District to zero  

3. Set up Tour of STR’s and B&B’s for Council Members, Mayor

4. Continue meeting with legislative representatives, Mayor, Planning

5. Engage Kupuna in every district

6. Investigate legality of current and proposed legislation that may threaten STR renew-ability

7. Be a pro-active voice in CPAC (Community Plan) process

8. Advocate for less bureaucracy by opposing the creation of Community Advisory Committees to the Planning Commission

9. Continue to create a repository (on website) for member and guest use:

   1. Maui Cultural / Historical education

   2. Environmental education and tips

   3. Ocean Safety

   4. Local Customs

10. Be the authority on STR and B&B data

    1. Taxes remitted by district

    2. Actual number of bedrooms/units offered

    3. Send press releases to news outlets

Financial Report : Members: Contact me at membership@mvra.net to request pdfs of the Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet

Elections - Same Board Members for the next year

Discussion points and suggestions from the meeting:

• 4000-8000 second homes that may look like vacation rental use as owners and their families utilize the home.

• We need to dispel the myth that vacation rental homes are creating a housing issue, when most of these homes will not convert to housing;

• Public relations about safety, community and other benefits of vacation rentals

• Create a free affiliate level of membership for the employees of vacation rentals, like the handymen, housekeepers, and landscapers. To expand the membership to build a coalition of people that the changes to the vacation rental laws would be affected.

• Use social media to get our messages across

• Create ads on social media that say the dollar amounts of how much the RPT tax totals are

• Letters to the editor campaign: Have people to write letters to the editor

• Public opinion: opposers of the vacation rental industry do not care about the economics, they care about the culture. Honor their history and their feelings

• Create a scholarship fund for Native Hawaiians

• Do a PR spread on Bed and Breakfast and Short Term Rental Homes

• Do more events throughout the year

• Let people report issues in their neighborhoods to MVRA, and have MVRA file RFS with planning