NAME: Alice L. Lee

AGE: 76

RESIDENCE: Wailuku

OCCUPATION: Maui County Council member (and chair) representing the Wailuku-Waihe‘e-Waikapū residency area

1. What were the biggest vulnerabilities that the Kula and Lahaina fires exposed, and how would you as a council member work to address those issues? 

The Council is already working to address four significant vulnerabilities: communication failures, inadequate staffing / equipment, poor prevention, and a lack of housing. The first three were described in agency “after action” reports, with additional / final reports forthcoming, so there may be further vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. The Council has had numerous committee hearings on all these issues to fully understand the problems in order to help find solutions, including supporting agency needs in the FY25 County budget.

The Maui Emergency Management Agency, Police Department and Fire Department have collaborated to improve, streamline and synchronize their communications equipment, systems, and protocols, which were supported by the Council in the budget. The Council also supported requests for additional staffing and new / upgraded equipment. Prevention techniques are less tangible and harder to address, e.g., updated code requirements for preventive land management, like vegetation control or fire breaks, must avoid unintended consequences. I have called for the creation of an Arson and Fire Hazard Reduction Unit along with a new Fire Abatement Revolving Fund. Key agencies support this initiative that will help us be more proactive with enforcement and prevention.

Our shortage of housing was a crisis that pre-dated the fires, but the displacement of thousands of people showed how vulnerable we are. The Council has funded tens of millions of dollars for new affordable and workforce housing projects to help restore our inventory; we are committed to ensuring that our community is better prepared and more resilient.

2. With so many people in temporary housing situations after the fires, how should we as a county pivot to address the need for affordable housing going forward?

We faced a severe housing crisis before the fires. We need to learn from past mistakes and work collaboratively with housing developers to meet our residents’ needs and the developer’s bottom line. For decades, our housing supply kept up with demand through market forces and County workforce housing requirements. When these requirements became too strict, developers stopped building new homes, hence the recent deficit. When requirements were loosened, we began to see new developments again. We must resist the temptation to impose additional requirements, with the well-intentioned goal of providing more housing at affordable/workforce rates, because this will only result in another cycle of reduced supply. The County must stop piling onerous conditions on projects, and take responsibility for providing needed infrastructure. This will allow us to direct growth where it is appropriate and needed, instead of relying on the private sector.

Housing experts who analyze housing crises in high-end visitor markets like ours say that workforce/affordable housing can only happen if the government subsidizes – whether through offering land, infrastructure, and/or entitlements, which make housing so expensive – or direct funding. I have supported County Capital Improvement Program infrastructure projects to support and enable new development, I have supported using the Affordable Housing Fund to subsidize new housing projects, and I have supported entitlements through regular and fast-track processes. These efforts must continue and be more robust; the County should take the initiative to solicit and promote projects instead of just being reactive when new projects are proposed.

3. What is your stance on Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposal to phase out short-term rentals in Maui County? If it passes, where could we find the funds to replace vacation rental tax revenues?

I support efforts to increase our housing stock for our residents and am not opposed to a legal and reasonable transient vacation rental (TVR) phase-out, particularly in the resort areas. There are broader economic impacts to the Mayor’s proposal, though: fewer visitors mean fewer customers in shops, restaurants, attractions and other visitor-related services that employ our residents, plus property managers, cleaners and others depend on TVRs for their livelihoods. Many of these units will not realistically become occupied long-term due to their up-front and monthly costs, layout, location, features, etc. Conversely, many of these units were built for long-term housing and are suitable for phase-out.

Any phase-out must be able to withstand a likely legal challenge, and we have been told that the phase-out period needs to be years, not months. I am also concerned about the potential loss of real property, general excise, and transient accommodations tax revenue that would result from a phase-out, in addition to the overall impacts to our economy. 

All potential impacts of any phase-out will be carefully considered by the Council, which is why we are contracting for a Fiscal and Economic Impact Study of the proposal. This Study will analyze all these issues. The Council cannot act on the Mayor’s proposal without knowing the likely impacts, both positive and negative, and I will consider the overall benefit to our entire community when it comes time to act on what will likely be a more targeted phase-out in areas best suited for long-term occupancy.

4. Many local businesses couldn’t survive the decline in tourism during the pandemic and after the fires. What can the county do to make our economy more resilient and foster the growth of other industries in addition to tourism?

We need economic diversification. I included funding in the County budget for new UHMC vocational training, mentoring and internships. I have been a long-standing supporter of diversification initiatives: workforce training in the green energy and building industries, broadening access to free/subsidized internet and tablets for underserved communities to benefit from the online economy, and increasing childcare provider training so that working parents have safe and affordable options.

I have also proposed a Grants Program Initiative to focus on grant-making efforts. If implemented correctly, it will create many jobs and generate millions in revenue.

Our small local businesses also struggle because of the lack of workforce housing, so one of the best ways to support small businesses is to support new workforce housing projects that are walkable and located close to businesses and services.

While some aspects of the visitor industry have become disadvantageous to our residents, it is a vital component of our economy. Hotels provide secure jobs, health insurance, pensions, promotional opportunities and other employee benefits that other accommodations do not. Hotels keep visitors out of residential neighborhoods and provide a variety of services and facilities on-site so that visitors do not need to drive to shop, dine or find entertainment. Hotels offer facilities like ballrooms and meeting spaces that local families, organizations and groups can use for weddings, parties and conferences. And hotels stepped-up, without being asked, and housed thousands of people displaced by the wildfires, even before they knew if or how they would be compensated.

5. Drought, fires, housing projects and large-scale agriculture remind us that water is in short supply and high demand. How can we make sure the county has enough water resources to go around?

We have a largely untapped resource for water – treated recycled wastewater that can be used for irrigation and other non-potable uses thereby making more potable water available for housing and other domestic consumption. Our wastewater treatment facilities produce much more R1 water than is currently used. I am a major advocate for using “R1” water, was an early proponent and supporter of funding to expand R1 waterlines in South Maui, and included funds in this year’s budget to study creative financing tools like community facilities districts to expand them even further. As such, I have met recently and frequently with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to learn of their plans in South and West Maui, and I was very pleased to learn that they have numerous projects underway. This would not only find an environmentally responsible way to use our wastewater, it would also free-up potable water for new workforce housing and other domestic uses. I will continue to support the needed funding that DEM requests in each year’s budget.

I will also support the development of new water sources pursed by the County, as well as the acquisition of private water systems so that this public trust can be managed by the County for the public.

6. The council recently passed a bill that paused the Managed Retreat Fund. However, sea level rise and erosion are still a problem, including at Baldwin Beach Park where the pavilion was removed last month. How can we address eroding shorelines while still making sure housing and other fire-related issues are funded? 

This was a difficult decision that required prioritizing our limited County financial resources to address an immediate crisis – providing affordable and workforce housing for West Maui. I think the pause for this purpose was justified.

I support having a Managed Retreat Revolving Fund and believe that the County should reserve and make funds available for the various actions for which the fund can be used, such as shoreline safety improvements, and removal or relocation of threatened structures or infrastructure. Coastal erosion and sea level rise are tangible and immediate threats that we must address through proactive, science-based planning. The Maui Planning Commission’s recently revised Shoreline Rules incorporate sea level rise and coastal erosion into responsible shoreline setbacks to ensure that new development, and changes to existing development, are located appropriately inland and mitigate for coastal hazards. Beyond the parcel-by-parcel application of these rules, we need a comprehensive and realistic plan for existing coastal development that is imminently threatened. The rebuilding of Lahaina can show us how to build responsibly and resiliently, and these practices can be replicated County-wide. 

7. What is your stance on the Maui County charter amendments that will appear on the ballot?

The Council voted, with my support, to place three proposed Charter amendments on the ballot. One would authorize the County Board of Ethics to appoint an independent executive director and staff. This would enable the Board to better and more effectively perform its duties by allowing it to provide training to County officials, give informal opinions or advice, and investigate and prosecute ethics violations. This would help to better enforce our Code of Ethics and better serve the public.

Another amendment would allow members of our County boards and commissions to serve two consecutive terms rather than be limited to one term at a time. Many of our boards and commissions struggle to find members who are able to attend at least a majority of the meetings, while at the same time having committed members who would be willing to continue serving. When a board or commission does not have a full membership, then meetings get canceled due to lack of quorum and its work comes to a standstill. This is not acceptable, and the amendment would help to address this serious problem.

The last amendment is a “housekeeping” amendment to change the word “compensation” to “salaries” relating to the Salary Commission’s duties, to make the language consistent with the Constitution of the State of Hawaii.