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Decatur City Council approves $28,500 contract for short-term rental software
Summary
The council approved Resolution 26038 to contract with Deckard Technologies for short-term rental registration, monitoring and compliance software for $28,500. Staff said the vendor will provide registration, tax portal, complaint hotline, inspection modules and verification tools, and council discussed future long-term rental capabilities.
Decatur City Council on 02/02/2026 approved a $28,500 contract with Deckard Technologies to manage short-term rental registration, compliance and monitoring through an online platform. The resolution (26038) passed by recorded vote of 4 to 0.
City staff described the scope the council asked to be written into the contract. An extended staff presentation listed specific deliverables: "collection of the processing fee, the validation of proof of ownership with deed mortgage and proof of ordinance, listing and validating available parking, ensuring applicant has certification on a rental agreement, has attended and completed an education orientation course, completed inspections by the fire marshal and building inspector for initial STR applications," as well as notification to adjacent property owners, annual inspection tracking and listing-validation tools. Staff said those items would be added to the contract language before final signatures.
During discussion, a council member asked whether the vendor could also support long-term rental management if the city pursues that work later. A staff/vendor exchange concluded that long-term rental capability was part of the interview criteria and the vendor responded positively. Staff said they are researching best practices and benchmarking to prepare a future long-term rental ordinance.
The contract amount recorded in the resolution is $28,500. Council members and staff described vendor references from other municipalities and noted the contract includes an inspection module, training and a reporting/analysis account management component.
What happens next: staff said Deckard will supply an updated contract reflecting the discussed deliverables before the mayor signs the agreement, and any subsequent separate contracts (for inspection services, hardware or integration) would return to council for approval.
