County of Maui
Special Committee on Real Property Tax Reform
CONTACT INFORMATION Office of Council Services, 200 South High Street, Wailuku, Hawai‘i 96793 Tel: (808) 270-7838 COMMITTEE STAFF Kirsten Szabo, James Krueger, Maria Leon, Peter Hanano, and Benjamin SIlva CONNECTIVITY This meeting is being conducted in accordance with Section 92-3.7, HRS. Nothing said in the meeting or included in the agenda is intended to create obligations in excess of those required under Section 92-3.7, HRS. If Teams connectivity affecting quorum is lost, the Committee will be in recess. It will not be considered a loss of quorum unless connectivity cannot be restored within 30 minutes. If the Teams connection is prematurely terminated, for whatever reason, please log back into the same link. If connectivity affecting quorum cannot be restored within 30 minutes, the meeting will automatically reconvene the following Tuesday at 9 a.m., using the same virtual connections, unless the Committee announces a different date and time. OFFICIAL LOCATIONS AND TESTIMONY Video testimony via Teams link: https://tinyurl.com/RPTR-SpecialCommittee Remote oral testimony is also available online via the same Teams link. In-person testimony and viewing: Council Chamber, Kalana O Maui Building, 8th Flr., 200 South High St., Wailuku, Hawai‘i Oral testimony is limited to 3 minutes per item. An individual’s request to testify shall be deemed withdrawn if the individual does not answer when called to testify. Testimony must pertain to items on the meeting agenda. Testifiers must direct their remarks to the presiding officer and not to any individual Councilmember or individual in the audience. If audiovisual connection is lost at the official location for in-person testimony and viewing, the committee will be in recess for up to 30 minutes to restore connectivity. If connectivity cannot be restored within 30 minutes, the meeting will automatically reconvene the following Tuesday at 9 a.m., at the same official location for in-person testimony and viewing, unless the Committee announces a different date, time, and location. If a meeting participant wishes to testify anonymously, they should log in to the meeting with an appropriate anonymous name and virtually raise their hand. If a testifier connects to the meeting by phone, the Chair will call the last four digits of the testifier's phone number. The Chair may mute or remove testifiers from the meeting who violate the Council's Standards of Decorum. Written testimony will be accepted via eComment. Search for the meeting date on mauicounty.us/agendas, click on the eComment link, then select the agenda item to submit comments on. Alternatively, written testimony will be accepted via email to RPTR.Committee@mauicounty.us or postal service to Special Committee on Real Property Tax Reform, Maui County Council, 200 S. High St., Wailuku HI 96793. For more information on testifying, please visit www.mauicounty.us/testify or contact the Office of Council Services. COURTESY PHONE TESTIMONY Dial 1-808-977-4067 and enter meeting code 656 043 807# If courtesy phone testimony becomes unavailable, the meeting will continue without that option. COURTESY TESTIMONY SITES - COUNCIL RESIDENCY AREA OFFICES East Maui: 80 Hau‘oli Road, Hāna, (808) 248-7513 Lāna‘i: 814 Fraser Avenue, Lāna‘i City, (808) 565-7094 Makawao-Ha‘ikū-Pā‘ia: Heritage Hall, 401 Baldwin Avenue, Suite 102, Pā‘ia, (808) 793-0099 Molokai: Moloka'i District Complex, 100 Ainoa Street, Kaunakakai, (808) 553-3888 South Maui: MEDB Building, 1305 North Holopono St., Suite 4A, Kihei, (808) 793-0012 West Maui: 60 Kenui Street, Lahaina Councilmembers may or may not participate from Courtesy Testimony Sites. If any Courtesy Testimony Site loses its audio connection to the meeting, the meeting will continue without that location, irrespective of whether a Councilmember is participating from there. Subject to change and staffing availability without notice. Visit mauicounty.us for more information. COURTESY LIVE CABLECAST AND WEBCAST VIEWING Akaku: Maui Community Media, Channel 53. mauicounty.us/agendas to access meeting videos Subject to change without notice. Visit mauicounty.us for more information. If Akaku prematurely ceases broadcasting the meeting, the meeting will continue via interactive conference technology and a recording will be sent to Akaku to be included with archived meeting videos. DISABILITY ACCESS Anyone requesting an auxiliary aid or service or an accommodation due to a disability should contact the Office of Council Services at least three working days prior to the meeting date at (808) 270-7838 or county.council@mauicounty.us. _____________________________________________________________________ Agenda items are subject to cancellation.
What This Committee Does
The Special Committee on Real Property Tax Reform reviews proposals to restructure Maui County's property tax system. It considers changes to tax classifications, rate structures, exemption thresholds, and assessment practices — particularly as they relate to housing affordability, agricultural land preservation, and the distribution of tax burden between residents, commercial properties, and visitor accommodations.
Why You Should Care
Property taxes are Maui County's largest revenue source and directly affect housing costs for homeowners and renters alike. Reforms considered by this committee can shift who pays more or less in taxes and whether the system encourages or discourages affordable housing, agriculture, and local ownership.