Council told short‑term rental rules will likely be an independent ordinance; law director to advise on zoning route

New Franklin City Council members received an update on a draft ordinance to regulate short‑term rentals and were told the administration expects to pursue a stand‑alone ordinance rather than routing it through the planning commission.

The mayor said the law director and zoning administrator are reviewing whether short‑term‑rental regulations must go through planning and zoning or could be adopted as a stand‑alone ordinance. He said he expects a final answer from the law director soon and pledged to provide council with the draft and legal analysis before formal action.

Why it matters: council members and the administration said the city must design the ordinance carefully because regulators expect litigation challenging local restrictions on short‑term rentals. The mayor said the administration wants litigation, should it occur, to focus “on the four corners of the ordinance” rather than on procedural defects in adoption.

The council indicated a desire for community input; staff said the ordinance would be shared with the public for comment after further legal review. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting, and staff said they expect to return to council with a draft and legal guidance for potential action in October.

Quotations in context: the mayor said, “We have to make sure of that with the law director because what we don't want to do is adopt an ordinance… we don't want to lose the argument because we didn't properly implement it.” The mayor and other council members said they want the ordinance to be legally defensible and to give the public an opportunity to comment before a vote.