Last night the City Council had a Study Session to discuss with the public whether or not they should implement a 3 night minimum on short term rentals, and if they should put a cap on permits of 1,550 (there are currently 1,510 according to the City Staff).
Please note that this was a Study Session only and no action could be taken immediately. They can only recommend to staff what they should do. After many speakers weighed in on the subject (almost all speaking against a cap on permits). Members of the Council also added a minimum age to rent vacation rentals at 25 years old. They also specified that if a cap were to be put on permits, the permit would transfer with the property at Sale and upon death of the Owner to heirs or family.
The City Council expressed their opinions as follows…
Council Members Diane Dixon, Jeff Herdman and Joy Brenner argued that the proliferation of permits cannot go unchecked and they would support a 3 night minimum, a cap on permits and a minimum age limit for renting short term rentals at 25 years old.
Mayor Will O’Neill argued that there needs to be much more evidence if they are going to implement sweeping changes like this and that he would need to certainly see an economic impact report before he would think of supporting a cap on permits.
Council Member Kevin Muldoon did not speak.
Council Member Duffy Duffield did not speak.
The Council then took a straw vote to see what instructions to give to the City Staff to take to the Planning Commission. The straw vote results went as follows…
1. Should there be a three night minimum on all vacation rentals:
YES – (Dixon, Avery, Brenner, Herdman, Duffield)
NO – (O’neill, Muldoon)
2. Should there be a cap on permits at 1,550:
YES – (Dixon, Avery, Brenner, Herdman)
NO – (O’neill, Muldoon, Duffield)
3. If there is a cap on permits, should the permit legally transfer to their heirs and/or family:
YES – (Dixon, Avery, O’neill, Herdman, Muldoon, Duffield)
NO – (Brenner)
4. If there is a cap on permits, should the permit legally transfer to the new Owner in the event of sale:
YES – (Dixon, Avery, O’neill, Herdman, Muldoon, Duffield)
NO – (Brenner)
5. Should there be an age limit to rent a short term rental of age 25:
YES – (Dixon, Avery, Brenner, Herdman)
NO – (O’neill, Muldoon, Duffield)
Where do we go from here? The instructions above will be presented to the Planning Commission at the next meeting for their review and recommendations (we need to write to the Planning Commission again) and then will come back to the City Council (regardless of what happens at the Planning Commission) for an official vote on October 13th (subject to change).