...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 15 to 25 kt.
* WHERE...Kauai Northwest Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai
Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel and Oahu Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
Lowering the property tax rate is one of several measures the Honolulu City Council's considering as it looks to offset a dramatic increase in residential property assessments.
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- The price of paradise is getting higher -- a double-edged sword for many Oahu homeowners.
Lowering the property tax rate is one of several measures the Honolulu City Council's considering as it looks to offset a dramatic increase in residential property assessments.
"I got calls from folks in my district whose property values went up hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, almost a million dollars in some cases," Council Chair Tommy Waters told KITV.
Waters said the property value for his own home, built in 1926, jumped by $200,000.
Kaimuki residents Dave and Shayna Kusumoto face the prospect of paying a thousand dollars more in property taxes than they did just two years ago.
"Along with everything else, how are families like us going to afford to pay for the rising costs of all these things? Gas, food, all these prices are going up and if property tax is going to go up too, that's kind of overwhelming," said Shayna Kusumoto.
The issue's a top focus for city councilmembers trying to find a solution to the greater tax burden on Oahu residents.
Bills to increase the homeowner's exemption and require greater transparency as to why a property's value is rising are also on the table.
"One of the things I'd like to look at is using city property to build more affordable housing. I think if there's more inventory, the property values would go down and you know, it could get more local people as homeowners," Waters added. "Everything's on the table, including lowering the property tax rate. But the fact of the matter is...the administration must balance the budget."
Waters said the council will once again be debating increasing the taxes on foreign investors who own homes but aren't living here as another possible solution.
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
