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# Hawaii ballot question would let counties finance housing infrastructure with future tax growth
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-hawaii-2026-10-19-a/
- Published: 2026-10-19T08:32:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T08:32:45.000Z
- Description: Hawaii voters will decide whether counties can issue RISE bonds backed by future property-tax growth. The proposal could help finance housing infrastructure, but project selection and repayment safeguards would remain crucial.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: Policy, Hawaii

Hawaii voters are deciding whether to give counties a new way to finance public infrastructure supporting housing: bonds repaid from future property-tax growth inside designated districts. [Question 2](https://elections.hawaii.gov/voting/2026-proposed-amendments-to-the-hawaii-state-constitution/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) on the November 3 ballot would create constitutional authority for Resilient Infrastructure for Shelter and Equity bonds, known as RISE bonds, and exclude them from county debt limits. [Hawaii Public Radio](https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2026-10-13/voting-explainer-2026-state-constitutional-amendment-ballot-questions?ref=theamericanquorum.com) identifies the proposal as one of two statewide constitutional questions this election.

The measure’s stated repayment source is additional property-tax revenue generated within a district, not an increase in real-property tax rates. Under the mechanism described by the state [planning office](https://planning.hawaii.gov/lud/state-tod/?ref=theamericanquorum.com), growth above existing district tax revenue would help repay infrastructure financing. That distinction matters: the proposal would redirect specified future receipts, rather than simply award counties an unrestricted new revenue stream.

Water, sewer and drainage improvements can be prerequisites for new homes. Housing committee chair Rep. Luke Evslin supports the proposal as a way to address those upfront costs, according to [HPR’s reporting](https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2026-10-09/ballot-question-could-help-hawaiis-housing-shortage-supporters-say?ref=theamericanquorum.com). The Office of Planning and Sustainable Development likewise describes infrastructure capacity as a constraint on development around transit stations. It presents RISE bonds as a complement to other public and private financing, not a stand-alone solution.

## Approval would not select individual projects

A [technical memorandum](https://hipa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RISE-Bonds-Technical-Memo-Final-Aug-2026.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com) prepared by municipal adviser Fieldman for the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs explains that companion Act 31 is enacted but becomes operative only if voters ratify the amendment. The memorandum says counties would still need district findings, financing plans, ordinances and bond documents. The statewide vote itself would not establish a district, approve a particular development or authorize a specific bond sale.

Future growth also is not guaranteed. HPR reports that underperforming development or declining property values could weaken repayment. Fieldman’s analysis recommends conservative revenue assumptions, reserves, stress testing and written county policies before borrowing. It says these bonds would be limited obligations rather than general obligations of the state or counties, but warns that county service costs and credit considerations still require attention. Those are financial safeguards to evaluate, not evidence that every prospective project would succeed.

The [planning office’s](https://planning.hawaii.gov/lud/state-tod/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) September discussion places the choice in a broader housing strategy: infrastructure investment, land use, transportation and financing need to work together. The practical question is therefore whether a proposed district can generate sufficient additional receipts while supporting a documented public improvement—not merely whether borrowing falls outside the county debt cap.

## What voters need to know

The [Office of Elections](https://elections.hawaii.gov/voting/2026-proposed-amendments-to-the-hawaii-state-constitution/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) says approval requires both a majority of votes tallied excluding blank and overvotes, and yes votes equaling at least half of all votes cast including those ballots. Leaving the question blank does not count as approval. County voter service centers open October 20 through November 3, excluding Sundays; ballots must reach county election officials by 7 p.m. on Election Day.