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City staff seeks direction from planning commission on regulating short-term rentals
Summary
Staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission that Airbnb- and Vrbo-style short-term rentals are operating in Converse without local registration or tax remittance; commissioners expressed interest and directed staff to draft potential registration and inspection rules.
City staff on May 19 asked the Planning and Zoning Commission whether it wanted staff to draft an ordinance to address short-term rentals after staff discovered multiple listings for Converse properties on platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo and no corresponding municipal registrations or occupancy-tax remittance.
Sharon Williams said the cityhad heard from a homeowner who tried to operate a short-term rental correctly and that finance staff reported the city is not receiving occupancy-tax collections from many listings. "We probably need to address this in code," Williams told the commission, and she asked whether the commission had the "appetite" for staff to draft regulations.
Commissioners discussed neighboring cities' approaches and raised enforcement and resource questions. One commissioner said registration and inspection would help the building and fire departments ensure short-term rentals meet basic safety requirements and occupancy limits. Williams said existing city staff (building, fire marshal, community development) could perform registration and inspections without creating a new position, though the commission would need to consider fees and enforcement priorities.
The commission directed staff to research other local ordinances and return with draft language for registration, occupancy tax collection procedures and basic safety requirements.
Next steps: staff will review neighboring municipal models and prepare draft ordinance language for the commission to consider at a future meeting.
