Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, Honolulu City Council members.

In delaying — yet again — overdue action on short-term vacation rentals, the runaway problem is left to fester. Citing imperfections in Bills 89 and 85, Council members couldn’t muster the courage to approve, instead sending the measures back to committee for more discussion.

Granted, the vacation-units controversy has divided residents into three general camps: Hard-line opponents of vacation rentals who want enforcement against illegal units and no new vacation-rental permits; those OK with Bill 89, which imposes new online-platform registration requirements and allows 1,715 new permits for hosted vacation rentals, but bans additional whole-home rentals; and supporters of short-term vacation rentals, including unhosted whole-home rentals.

Oahu has only about 800 permits issued for legal vacation rentals, but 8,000-10,000 are estimated to be operating illegally, changing the character of neighborhoods and bringing problems such as noise and parking. Clearly, it’s now impossible to keep the legal units at 800 — but just as clear is the imperative to crack down on the whole-house, illegal rentals. Bills 89 and 85, which increase fines and enforcement mechanisms, are not perfect — but they are an important start to bring things into needed check.

The Council, under new Chairman Ikaika Anderson, must summon the political will to halt the selling off of Oahu’s residential neighborhoods. Its action — or inaction — is especially consequential, now that the Legislature has passed Senate Bill 1292, which would enable the taxing of millions of dollars from these illegal accommodations. Absent tougher county restrictions and enforcement, state collection of these taxes would be a tacit enabler to operate with impunity.