Hotel owners urge council to relax 180‑day occupancy limit in commercial lodging code

A hotel-owner representative addressed the Delavan Common Council during the public-comment period to urge revision of the city’s commercial indoor lodging code, which the speaker said limits individual occupancy to 180 days in a 365‑day period. The speaker represented multiple local hotels (identified in the remarks as Baymont, Super 8, Comfort Inn and Evergreen Motel) and said average occupancy across the year is about 55 percent and that the code’s limit prevents hotels from offering longer stays during downtimes or emergency situations.

Why it matters: the lodging code's occupancy limits affect how hotels can house long-term guests and staff-assisted placements (for example, when the community experiences a fire or other displacement). The speaker said hotels in Delavan sometimes house guests for many months following local emergencies and that the limitation can interfere with operations and public-safety staffing at sites.

What the speaker told the council: the hotel representative said some guests have stayed more than 180 days in particular circumstances (for example, after a fire at a senior community) and that on-site staffing is sometimes needed to oversee safety and operations. The speaker asked the council to consider making rooms available for longer-term stays during downtimes and emergencies and to adjust the code so hotels can lawfully house such occupants.

Council response and next steps: no council action on the code was recorded during the meeting; the item was presented as public comment. The mayor invited speakers to state their names and addresses for the record and acknowledged the request; any ordinance change would require a formal agenda item, staff analysis and council action at a future meeting.

Quotation (verbatim from transcript): “As it is, as the hotel owners, we don't see occupancy of more than 55% average year over year... we do have guests that stay more than 180 days in some cases, especially whenever we have fire or anything in the town... Also, like, you know, ensures that staff is present in those rooms, which oversees day to day operations as well.”

Ending: The council did not take action at the meeting; the comment was recorded for future consideration and could be added to a future agenda if the mayor, city administrator or clerk directs staff to prepare an ordinance change for council review.