Ferguson council hears wide public input on proposed short-term rental rules; bill sent back for revision

The Ferguson City Council on a public forum night took up Bill 73-02, a proposed ordinance to register and regulate short-term rentals and platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo, and postponed final action for rewrites after more than two hours of public comment and council discussion.

Mildred Pines, a Ferguson resident who opened public comment, asked whether short-term rentals should be capped and taxed differently, saying, “All short term rentals and Airbnbs, shouldn't they be considered in the same category?” She gave a personal example — “we paid for was $3,500 for 4 days” — and urged limits on the number of rental days and stronger rules about owner proximity and privacy of owner information.

Councilman Mike Palmer, who sponsored the draft ordinance, said the bill is intended to create a public registry and some basic rules where none exist today. “Right now, there is no Airbnb registry or short term rental registration with the city at all,” Palmer said. He told the room the goal is transparency so neighbors “should be able to find out” whether a property is being used as a short-term rental rather than guessing whether it is “a short term rental or a drug house.”