Statement on Bill 11

“Every incentive the city extends to a developer is a public investment, and taxpayers deserve to know exactly what that investment is producing. Right now, there is no consistent system to track the full scope, cumulative value, or impact of the affordable housing incentives we offer. Bill 11 requires the Department of Housing and Land Management to produce regular, detailed, publicly accessible reports on every financial and non-financial incentive granted to affordable housing projects. That transparency is how we verify that these tools are delivering affordable units for local families, and how we make smarter decisions about where to invest next.” – Council Chair Tommy Waters.  

Questions:  

1.) What would Bill 11 actually do? 

2.) What is the reason Bill 11 was brought forward? What was the impetus?  

3.) Why is tracking the affordable housing developers and the incentives they receive important and necessary? 

4.) Who in the community supports Bill 11?   

5.) This isn’t the first legislation regarding transparency in city government. Chair Waters previously introduced two other transparency measures—Bills 64 and 64—requiring updated data on lapsed, unspent money from each of the City and County of Honolulu departments related to city budgeting. My questions here are: Did the city ever provide that lapsed information to the Council as requested? What was the outcome of those bills?

6.) If that unspent money information was provided, is it available to the public? If so, where can it be found?  

This official statement was submitted to Star Advertiser.

Reporter: Ian Bauer | ARTICLE