Galveston committee sets Oct. 9 community forum and refines STR survey; marshal outlines enforcement steps

The City of Galveston’s short‑term rental committee scheduled a community forum for Oct. 9 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Water and Light building/community center and reviewed a draft public survey to accompany a proposed short‑term rental (STR) ordinance, committee members said at a meeting. City Marshal Heather Norris described changes to field enforcement that the marshal’s office plans to use while the ordinance is finalized.

The items matter because STRs are a recurring source of neighborhood complaints — chiefly noise, parking and trash — and the committee is drafting both an education effort and enforcement processes that could include licensing, fines and license revocation for repeat violations. The committee also discussed how to present information to the public so survey responses are useful and not misleading.

Priscilla Smith, a resident who identified herself as living at 1021 Harborview, opened public comment by saying a nearby property had been converted to an STR and now advertises an occupancy far above what she expected. “It’s listed on the market now that sleeps 25 people. And believe me, it’s sleeping 25 people because it’s a party house,” Smith said, and asked the committee to consider the Texas Property Code’s language limiting occupants when the city evaluates capacity and safety.

Christine Bryant, a committee member leading the outreach work, said the Oct. 9 forum will be organized as a set of staffed tables rather than a single presentation so visitors can read the draft ordinance in sections, ask questions of the relevant city staff and complete the survey on site via QR code or on iPads. Bryant said the event will include large maps showing where respondents live and where STRs are located and that the survey will be translated into Spanish and made available in paper form or at community offices for people without internet access.

Bryant described the draft survey as organized into roughly five sections and about 10 staffed tables. The committee debated question wording and order: members raised concerns that some items could look leading (for example, order of “very positive” versus “very negative” choices), that perception questions should be clearly labeled as such, and that ownership versus residency could affect answers. The group asked staff to keep the instrument short and mobile‑friendly and to test response logic (for example allowing multiple selections where appropriate).

Sally Baca, the city’s director of policy and general relations, cautioned the committee that the city repeatedly faces state preemption efforts. She urged the committee to capture how residents perceive the local economic impact of STRs because, she said, “that’s something I can use” when the city responds to state legislative proposals and when it argues the city’s role improves online listing integrity by removing bad actors.

On enforcement, City Marshal Heather Norris said the marshal’s office plans to make the 24‑hour contact person for each short‑term rental the first line of on‑scene communication. Norris said marshals will verify complaints in person, call the 24‑hour contact to start immediate remediation, and — when appropriate — set a return time rather than waiting at a property. “When we get a location that is a short term rental and we verified an issue, that’s gonna be a first point of contact,” Norris said. She described the approach as faster and more likely to resolve problems than the previous pattern of issuing a letter to be answered days later.

Norris clarified operational limits: the marshal’s office and code enforcement operate seven days a week for daytime hours, but they do not currently staff evening or overnight shifts. “We operate 7 days a week… but not in the evenings,” Norris said. Committee members discussed whether staffing should be flexed for peak season and noted hiring requirements may change if night coverage is needed.

Committee members reviewed enforcement language pulled from the draft ordinance, including a provision — described in the draft and on the survey — that would allow license revocation after three documented violations within 12 months. Members asked staff to tighten wording so that “documented” or “validated” violations are those tied to citations or other verifiable enforcement actions rather than unvalidated complaints.

The committee discussed creating a short‑term rental licensing board to review violations and recommend penalties or revocations; members noted appeals and finer penalty design would be addressed later. There was also discussion of funding enforcement through STR registration fees rather than the general fund, and of making survey questions that gauge public willingness to fund additional enforcement clear (for example, asking specifically about registration‑fee funding rather than a generic “more money”).

Dan (committee member) and others noted the committee can use existing data to inform outreach: one participant said city complaint software shows the majority of complaints are concentrated on a handful of properties. The committee also discussed presenting existing data at the forum so attendees can see where STRs and complaints are clustered.

A question about an STR hotline led to clarification: committee members said the city has not previously operated a city‑run STR hotline but is preparing one; the survey will ask whether respondents knew about any hotline and whether their issues were resolved. Bryant asked staff to include a “not applicable” option for some questions and to limit free‑text fields so manual review remains manageable.

Next steps the committee recorded include finalizing survey questions with staff, launching the online survey after internal review, translating documents into Spanish, distributing the survey widely through Vision Galveston and community lists, and presenting compiled data at the Oct. 9 forum. Committee members said they will return revised survey language and recommendations to the group for further editing.

The committee did not take any formal votes at the meeting; members said items not finished at the meeting would be deferred to a future agenda so staff could attend an unrelated city event.

Ending: The committee will reconvene with updated survey language and additional enforcement recommendations; staff and committee members said they expect the draft ordinance and implementation details (including any staffing or funding requests) to return for further review before being forwarded to the City of Galveston for formal consideration.