Richard Bissen

Mayor Richard Bissen's proposed bill to offer tax breaks to short term rentals owners who house fire victims passed the first reading of the Maui County Council yesterday, with a majority of the more than 60 testifiers in support.

Mauiʻs housing shortage is in crisis. As Lahaina residents are shuffled between temporary housing options, calls are getting louder to convert short-term rentals into long-term housing. What would that take? And is it even possible? HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.

Three months after the August wildfire, a group of Maui community members are taking a stand at Kāʻanapali Beach to secure long-term housing. Thousands of Lahaina residents displaced by the fire continue to live in hotels and other temporary housing.

Mayor Richard Bissen says workers are ready to return to their jobs while acknowledging that's not true for everyone. He says those who aren’t prepared to go back to work should talk to their employers and continue to seek the help and attention that they need. He says residents who have been staying in hotels after losing their homes won’t lose their lodging because of the reopening.

Hosts of residents who have been displaced by last month’s Lāhainā fire are eligible to receive up to $1,500 per month under a new program led by Maui County. County Mayor Richard Bissen at a news conference Tuesday unveiled what he called the “Host Families Program” in the latest housing effort for fire evacuees.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen says an investigation into county operations during the West Maui wildfires will be conducted at a later date. Bissen addressed residents Thursday evening as he reported a timeline of events, including where he and key county officials were at the time of the fire, which has been routinely brought up during media press conferences without clear answers. HPR's Sabrina Bodon has more.

Each of Hawaiʻi's four mayors signed their respective county's fiscal budget this month, which will go into effect July 1. Affordable housing and sustainability were budgeted as top priorities for each county; tax relief measures and capital improvement projects were among the other expenditures mayors signed off on.

Maui County will be working with a $1.07 billion budget next fiscal year. Mayor Richard Bissen, who is in his first term at mayor, said the collaboration with the Maui County Council led to a "responsible budget." HPR's Sabrina Bodon explains.

Affordable housing is on the mind of many. Each mayor made it a key point in his respective state of the country address this month. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon dives deeper on how each county plans to increase housing infrastructure this next year.

Mayor Richard Bissen announced his $1.227 billion budget proposal for next fiscal year before Maui County Council members last week. The amount is slated to prioritize working class kamaʻāina families and larger environmental repair projects.