Since even a major proponent agreed the measure needed more work, shelving a bill to regulate Maui County’s transient vacation rentals was probably the right thing to do.

David Dantes, the operator of a vacation rental in Haiku and president of the Vacation Rental Association, has been lobbying for reasonable regulations for months. He agreed the proposed policy needed work.

No one cared for the measure drafted by the previous council – not the members of the current Planning Committee, not the county Planning Department and not the Maui, Molokai and Lanai planning commissions.

Transient vacation rentals are a relatively hidden development in Maui County. Marketed mostly via the Internet, the rentals range from bed and breakfast operations to single units to multi-unit compounds tucked away here and there.

The big issue is whether TVRs should be permitted in ag-zoned areas. Hana, for example, apparently wants them confined to Hana town. The other issue is devising a permitting process that will encourage illegal operations to become legal, a paramount consideration since, by definition, illegal operations cannot be regulated.

Most of the arguments already have been put on record. It shouldn’t take another drawn-out effort to craft a bill. The mayor and the County Council should stay on top of the progress, or lack of it.