Hawaiʻi County Council to consider Bill 132 regulating Kailua Village paid parking

The Hawaiʻi County Council’s Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit will hear Bill 132 today at 10:30 a.m. in the Hilo Council Chambers to regulate rates charged at private parking facilities in Historic Kailua Village, also referred to as Kailua Village or downtown Kona. “To address a longtime problem, the Hawai‘i County Council on Tuesday will discuss a new bill that would regulate rates charged at private parking facilities in Historic Kailua Village.”

Bill 132’s consumer protections include a provision for “free parking for the first three consecutive hours a patron parks or stores a motor vehicile in a paid parking facility in Kailua VIllage.” After that initial three-hour window, the ordinance text reported in council materials would cap charges during the first 24 hours at $2 per hour, with a maximum of $30 for that 24-hour period, and would set a flat daily storage fee of $30 for each day after the first 24 hours.

The proposal also addresses operator practices. “Operators of parking facilities can require vehicle identification and payment of parking, but they are prohibited from requiring or requesting government-issued identification,” language included in the bill summary states. The text does not define acceptable forms of vehicle identification or list enforcement mechanisms; those details are expected to surface during committee discussion.

Local pressure for municipal action is cited in council materials and public notices. “For years, business owners and residents in downtown Kona have been advocating for relief from the economic hardship they say is caused by the exorbitant parking rates…,” the bill summary notes, and it records current private parking rates “ranged from $9 to $21 an hour, although some lots offer free time or discounted prices for residents.”

The council discussion arrives amid broader traffic and access concerns in downtown Kona. A description included with the council packet states: “The problems created by the one-way road were traffic congestion, safety hazards, less foot traffic and residual backups on Kuakini Highway due to motorists being unable to make a right turn at Hualālai intersection onto Ali‘i Drive.” Committee members may weigh that local traffic context alongside the economic impacts cited by business owners and residents.

The committee meeting is the next formal step; “The council’s Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit will hear the bill on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Hilo Council Chambers. Click here to watch the meeting live.” The hearing is expected to be the first public forum to identify the bill sponsor, clarify the “some exceptions” referenced for the $2 per hour cap, and collect testimony from parking operators, Kona business owners, and residents.