Discussion on draft covering short-term rentals postponed to revise language for marketplace facilitators

A staff member announced a postponement of further action on two draft "LC" numbers so drafters can widen language to capture short-term vacation rentals and third-party "marketplace facilitators" while avoiding unintended criminal penalties for uninformed hosts.

The staff member (unnamed), staff member, said the meeting would likely resume the discussion tomorrow and asked colleagues to delay action until legal language is clarified. "We have 2, LC numbers that, 1 of those you don't have," the staff member said. He added the original draft "wasn't clear that it covered probably the biggest offender in this is and that's the short term vacation rentals. And also the marketplace facilitators, which are the third party that rents these things that gets these folks into the, into the VRBOs, if you will."

Why it matters: drafters want an "umbrella" broad enough to hold operators engaged in serious offenses while excluding people who lack knowledge of wrongdoing. The staff member said the concern is that an overly broad criminal provision could "inadvertently prosecute somebody that, unbeknownst to them, has taken the somebody that, unbeknownst to them, has taken the training that this bill is gonna require, and then send them to jail because they didn't know." He said the intent is to catch parties with knowledge and participation in illicit activity while not penalizing hosts who complied with training requirements.

Discussion details: the staff member described "marketplace facilitators" as third-party platforms and intermediaries that arrange bookings and enable guests to check in without meeting a host in person, increasing the risk that illegal activity could move quickly between properties. He said that because guests "never really see a person" at check-in, illicit activity could occur and then move to another rental before enforcement could act.

Next steps and procedural note: the staff member asked participants to postpone consideration until the next meeting so Lehi city officials ("Lehi council") can review the two LC numbers and the group can align on language that captures the intended targets and limits collateral consequences. The speaker said he would "send you a message on our next meeting tomorrow." The transcript records the postponement request and adjournment but does not show a formal motion, second or recorded vote on the postponement.

Votes and formal actions: No formal motions, seconds, or vote tallies were recorded in the transcript for the LC items; the staff member requested postponement to the next meeting and the meeting was adjourned.

Ending: The discussion will resume at the next scheduled meeting after staff and Lehi council review revised language to clarify which actors would be covered and how training and knowledge requirements will affect enforcement.