A 91直播 County Council committee voted unanimously Tuesday to again postpone a controversial bill that would cap rates at privately owned parking lots in Kailua Village.
Bill 132 would prohibit private lot operators from charging drivers for the first three hours of use, and restrict subsequent hourly and daily fees to a fraction of what some lots currently cost. The Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit moved to delay its consideration of the bill until its May 19 meeting in Hilo.
This marks the bill鈥檚 third delay following last month鈥檚 postponements at the committee鈥檚 March 3 and March 17 meetings.
Parking rates at the jumble of more than 20 private lots in Kailua Village range between $9 to $21 per hour, with some companies adopting surge pricing that raises costs even further during busier times of day. On the other hand, some lots do offer free time or discounts for local residents, with one free county-run lot along Ali鈥榠 Drive containing roughly 90 stalls.
Bill 132 forbids lot operators from charging drivers more than $2 per hour for the first 24 hours of service, and calls for a flat fee of $30 per day after that. It also includes protections for disabled drivers, provisions for signage and standardized fee collection, a ban on requiring drivers to show government-issued identification, and civil fines for operators who fail to comply with these new rules starting at $1,000 for first offenses up to $5,000 for subsequent offenses.
All of the testifiers at Tuesday鈥檚 committee meeting spoke in opposition to the bill, although prior meetings have seen droves of supporters. Among the opponents was Manny Martinez, a property manager in Kailua-Kona with SVN GO Commercial, who criticized the fact that little of the legislation had been changed from its prior version, with hotels and resorts still unaffected by its rules.
鈥淭he core issue of fairness remains unaddressed in the current version,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淲e do not see any substantive change in the revised draft despite what appeared to be a willingness by the council to improve the language of the bill to address these concerns. The ordinance continues to impose strict requirements on small landowners while large hotels and resorts remain exempt. 鈥� It does not seem fair to place the full burden of this policy on a limited group of small, local landowners while the largest providers of parking remain unaffected.鈥�
He brought up the fact that county buildings have paid parking lots, ostensibly in order to ensure lot users are there on county business, insinuating that a double standard was being placed on private lot owners.
鈥淎 reasonable expectation for any property owner is that parking serves those that patronize the businesses on the property,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat same principle is reflected in how the county currently operates today, where parking is generally limited to those using the facilities.鈥�
Tyler Saenz is the CEO of digital parking management platform Parklinq, which operates a handful of lots in Kailua Village, and testified via Zoom saying that council members鈥� accusations that lot owners are charging for parking out of 鈥済reed鈥� are misplaced.
鈥淧roperty owners did not implement managed parking in Kona to generate incremental revenue,鈥� Saenz said. 鈥淭hey did it because their own customers could not access parking on their own properties. For years, these lots were effectively used as long-term parking by employees of nearby businesses and by visitors who would park once and walk the village for the entire day. Many vehicles stayed in the same spot for six to ten hours at a time. The result was simple: Customers who intended to shop or dine could not find parking.鈥�
He said that not all of the provisions in the bill are 鈥渨ithout merit,鈥� describing the need for signs with posted pricing at the entrance to lots as a 鈥渧alid issue.鈥�
鈥淚n response, over this past week, we鈥檝e already implemented changes so that pricing is clearly displayed upon arrival at all Parklinq-managed locations in Kona,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are listening, we are responsive, and we are committed to continuous improvement, but it is equally important to be clear: Private property owners should not be required to subsidize parking for noncustomers.鈥�
After the final testifier had finished speaking, Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas 鈥� who introduced the bill 鈥� pushed back on some of their claims. She said the new pricing signs still did not follow the rules of the Kona Special Design District, which are meant to ensure a consistent aesthetic and character of buildings.
鈥淪ome of the signs were taken down, new signs have been put up,鈥� Villegas said. 鈥淥nce again, not going through the process, not getting the permits, not following procedure or policy for our county. I just want to clarify that.鈥�
By ignoring these rules, she said, claims from parking lot operators that they鈥檙e trying to make improvements are moot.
鈥淭hey are not being a good community participant and following our specific laws and regulations,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, the representative from Parklinq today that made claims about, you know, what a good job they鈥檙e doing, we still have policies, procedures and protocols.鈥�
Email Stefan Verbano at sverbano@hawaiitribune-herald.com.