St. Charles committee hears range of options to regulate short‑term rentals; staff to study tax and registry

Russell Colby, community development staff for the City of Saint Charles, told the Planning and Development Committee on the evening of the meeting that short‑term rentals—“offerings of residential properties either for nightly or weekly stays, generally less than 30 days”—have grown in the city since the last review in 2019.

Colby said staff located 47 listings on Airbnb and VRBO and that revenue tracked by a commercial data provider has trended upward, with local short‑term rental revenue “trending up about 25% versus last year.” He estimated that, if the city’s hotel operators tax were applied to short‑term rentals, last year’s collections could have been about $72,000.

Jenna Sawicki, tourism staff with the City’s business alliance, told the committee that short‑term rental guests often stay longer and spend in neighborhoods beyond the hotel corridor: “The average short term rental guest stays longer than a hotel guest. That’s by 72% longer,” she said, citing AirDNA and national averages.

Colby outlined regulatory options for committee…