Yesterday was a long day at the Old Historic County Building. Late into the night the council unanimously passed bill 2202, a housing policy bill that addresses the lack of affordable housing on Kaua'i. Unfortunately, after many amendments and struggles between council members, the original bill was watered way down. The policy mandates that residential developments of 26 units or more include at least 30 percent workforce housing. Yet, of the 30 percent, only 20 percent is for the lowest income bracket (those making 80 percent of the median household income, which is $63,300). Sixty percent of Kaua'i residents fall into this category! So where are the rest of the majority supposed to live? How many of the people classified as "nearly-homeless" will gain access to housing through the enactment of this bill? Of course affordable housing is a complicated issue that will take a multi-faceted solution, but part of this solution must be our government holding developers to a higher standard.

To read more about the housing policy bill, check out the latest news and the "Eye on Government" section of the Save Kaua'i site. In this section you will also find important information on the Shoreline Setback Bill, which will be voted on at the December 16th general county council meeting.

There are several other county issues we need to be paying attention to right now as well. The Updated Solid Waste Management Plan for the island was just released, and it still includes a proposed Waste to Energy Facility. For more on this, visit the Waste/Recycling area of focus.