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Maui can't build homes without critical infrastructure: On Your Ballot: Vote YES on Question 2
Maui's housing crisis is also an infrastructure crisis. The county estimates it needs $1.29 billion over the next five years for infrastructure to support housing, including water, wastewater, roads, and drainage.
The cost or availability of this infrastructure can affect whether much-needed housing moves forward and what it costs to build. RISE is a tool that has been adopted by 48 states. It's time Hawaii had more ways to support housing.
After the devastating fires and as storms and flooding keep putting pressure on our systems, we need smarter ways to pay for this critical work. Question 2 on the ballot would let counties use RISE to fund needed infrastructure upfront, then repay the cost over time with new property tax revenue generated by growth in a designated area.
It does this without increasing property tax rates and allows Maui County to decide if and how to use it in a transparent process.
For families who want to stay on Maui, RISE could help unlock housing that has been stuck waiting on infrastructure.
Please vote YES on Question 2.
Regina Duncan
Pukalani