In response to complaints from neighbors of a Kaimuki homeowner, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi has introduced a bill that would allow city crews to enter private property and remove junk.

But the city administration has qualms about Bill 8, known as an "anti-hoarding" ordinance.

"The bill calls this stuff junk, but you know that junk is in the eye of the beholder," City Planning Director George Atta told members of the Council Public Safety Committee recently.

The committee shelved the bill after questions from city officials. But Kobayashi said she plans to work with the city to see if the concerns can be addressed.

Kobayashi introduced the measure in response to complaints from neighbors of a homeowner in Kaimuki whose piles of trash and other objects strewn around her yard have caused a literal stink.

"I worry about the neighbors," Kobayashi said. "Plus there could be a fire."

Simply fining a homeowner, as is now allowed, may not be enough, she said, because the homeowner could choose to ignore the fines and let the situation fester.

That is what has happened with the Kaimuki homeowner, who has been fined twice for debris-related violations since 2008, according to Curtis Lum, Department of Planning and Permitting spokesman.

She has not paid the fines and, because they accrue at a rate of $50 a day if not paid and the violation is not corrected, she owed the city $144,900 as of Wednesday, Lum said.

The city has had a lien placed on her property.

"The next step is to begin foreclosure, but that has not yet begun," he said.

Since she introduced the bill, Kobayashi said she’s heard from neighbors across Oahu.

"It seems like every community has someone who hoards," she said.

Atta told the committee that while the administration appreciates the problem, Bill 8 leaves many unanswered questions, including who will pay for objects to be removed, who will do the work and what happens to the items that are retrieved.

"It’s one thing to remove sidewalk nuisances which have just a few items per person," Atta said, referring to the city’s sidewalk nuisance and stored property ordinances designed to remove items, often the property of homeless people, that are considered impediments to pedestrians.

"When you go to some of these houses, they have tons and tons of stuff," Atta said.

Additionally, the bill would put the burden of what should be stored or thrown away on city crews tasked with removing the detritus.