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Commissioners discuss applying transient guest tax to short‑term rentals
Summary
At the Dec. 16 Shawnee County work session an attendee suggested extending the county transient guest tax to Airbnb and Vrbo rentals to raise revenue; staff said planning currently takes the position that many short‑term rentals cannot exist in parts of the county and that the guest‑tax resolution and legal implications will be reviewed.
During administrative communications at the Dec. 16 work session an attendee proposed expanding the county’s transient guest tax to cover short‑term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo as a way to increase revenue. The attendee noted the county currently collects relatively little from the tax because there is only one traditional hotel in the area.
County staff and commissioners said they would review the transient guest tax resolution and consult legal and planning departments because local land‑use rules currently limit or prohibit some short‑term rental accommodations in parts of the county.
Why it matters: Expanding the tax base could increase revenue for tourism or infrastructure projects, but doing so may require legal or zoning changes and coordination with city codes and county planning rules. No decision was made at the Dec. 16 meeting.
Quote
"You can apply that tax to Airbnbs and Vrbo's," an attendee stated, suggesting the county could ‘juice up’ the transient guest tax revenue.
Ending
County staff said they will review the current resolution and legal implications; the commission took no action at the session.
