Morgan County commission favors temporary pause on new short-term rental applications, sets 30-day survey and 90-day limit

The Morgan County Commission on June 3 advanced a temporary pause on new short-term rental applications in unincorporated county areas while staff completes an updated STR ordinance. Commissioners said the change is intended to give residents time to respond to a short public survey and to allow staff and a working group to incorporate public feedback into ordinance revisions.

County staff told commissioners that recent application volume had increased and that Leslie’s office and other stakeholders had expressed support for a short pause to allow time for the survey and ordinance revisions. Commissioners discussed how long the pause should last; after debate they directed staff to publish the survey for 30 days and to place a temporary moratorium of up to 90 days as a working target while planning staff compiles responses and drafts an ordinance. Commissioners also asked staff to convene a working group to expedite drafting and to schedule additional work sessions as needed.

Staff outlined a tentative schedule that would circulate the survey on the county website and by mailings; the commission discussed scheduling a planning/working meeting in mid-July and targeting review by the planning commission and final action in August to meet the 90-day window. Commissioners emphasized that the pause applies only to properties in unincorporated Morgan County and not to Morgan City, which has separate land-use authority.

No final ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the commission directed staff to proceed with survey distribution, convene the working group, and return ordinance language for additional review and approval.