Assembly asks for data and city coordination as it considers short-term rental licensing and limits

Assemblymembers discussed a proposed resolution that would require all short-term rentals (STRs) operating in the Kodiak Island Borough to register and obtain a borough license by July 1, 2025, and to halt authorization of new STRs until a licensing system and limits are established.

Manager Amy said staff had attempted to collect hotel-occupancy and STR data; only one hotel responded and Discover Kodiak could not provide occupancy data for packet inclusion. She also said cross-checking borough and city lists revealed discrepancies: the city reported 58 STRs inside city limits, while borough checks identified 69 inside city limits, suggesting an incomplete accounting in licensing and accommodation-tax filings.

Assemblymember Jared Johnson and others tied STR policy to housing availability. Jared cited academic studies showing correlations between short-term rental concentration and higher rents and house prices, and argued the borough must act if it wants to address a local housing shortage. Assemblymember Larry said the first priority is to determine how many STRs exist and which uses should be exempt (for example medical/hospital facilities or owned institutional housing), and that the borough should coordinate with the City of Kodiak. Several members said they favored limiting new entries while gathering better data.

The Assembly set immediate next steps: a joint work session with the City of Kodiak is scheduled for Feb. 4, and the Assembly will revisit STR policy in the Feb. 13 work session. Staff were asked to provide updated counts, maps and any occupancy data it can obtain for those meetings. No licensing ordinance or resolution was adopted at the Jan. 30 work session.