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Council renews HDL contract for short-term rental administration and hotel-occupancy tax collection
Summary
Wimberley City Council unanimously approved a 12-month renewal with HDL for short-term rental administration and hotel-occupancy tax collection; the contract auto-renews for an additional 12 months unless canceled with 45 days’ notice.
Wimberley City Council on April 17 approved a one-year renewal of the city’s contract with HDL for short-term rental administration and collection of the hotel-occupancy tax (HOT). The agreement automatically renews for another 12 months unless the city cancels within 45 days.
Tourism Director Michelle Woods told the council the city has worked with HDL since 2022 and that staff has been largely satisfied. Woods said HDL provides near-real-time responsiveness to staff inquiries, delivers metrics, and uses technology (including AI-assisted monitoring) to detect listings. She said HDL collects significantly more tax revenue than the city pays in fees and that the company’s approach to enforcement is often stricter than the city’s but that HDL coordinates with city staff on discretionary decisions.
Woods described the contract terms as substantially similar to the prior agreement with some fee reductions and said staff had verified the 45-day cancellation term with the city attorney. Council members asked about HDL’s responsiveness and metrics; Woods said HDL responds quickly and supplies evidence packets for potential violations. Woods also described a staff decision to offer a one-time fee waiver in a collection case (roughly $12,000 owed with about $2,000 waived) to secure compliance.
A council member moved to continue the agreement with HDL for short-term rental administration and HOT collection, a second followed, and the motion passed unanimously.
