New Franklin council takes first reading on short-term rental rules as residents press enforcement, 300-foot separation
Loading...
Summary
Council took a first reading of Ordinance 25-04 to regulate short-term rentals and heard several public commenters urging strict limits and better enforcement, including calls for a 300-foot separation rule and threats of a citizen initiative if council delays.
New Franklin — The City Council on Feb. 18 took the first reading of Ordinance 25-04, a proposed set of regulations for short-term rental operations, and spent substantial time debating enforceability and a proposed 300-foot separation rule.
At the meeting, a law director’s review was described as ongoing; S3 told colleagues they had met with the law director and an associate who flagged enforcement concerns and said it would be easier to add restrictions later legislatively than to remove them. "He had a couple questions on the enforcement side of things," S3 said, urging that edits the law director prepares be reviewed before the next meeting.
Public commenters pressed for strong limits. Mike Hawthorne, of 4123 Melcher Avenue, said he was "boiling" and accused council members of delaying action in a manner that would "protect investors," and suggested a ballot initiative if the council did not act. "I'll guarantee you that more than 50% of this community will say that we don't want short term rentals," Hawthorne said.
Council members responded that the delay reflects legal review, not favoritism. S6 said: "We've spent a lot of time on this... it’s not for any investor, but for the citizens to make sure that we do it properly," and emphasized the need for the law director to vet enforceability.
Members repeatedly returned to a proposed 300-foot separation rule. S6 said a majority of council voiced support for the rule at a previous meeting and urged that it be included in the version presented at the next session. S3 relayed the law director's concern that enforcing any ordinance without night- and weekend-inspection capacity would be difficult, citing other municipal litigation where proof depended on limited evidence such as a neighbor’s camera.
Speakers also discussed how enforcement responsibilities might be shared. S9 suggested that police could document complaints or incidents and forward reports to zoning for enforcement action; S3 noted the city had "0 complaints" on file from police about short-term rentals to date.
Council directed staff to continue legal review and to circulate draft language for public review. S3 and others asked that a red-line version be posted to the city's website so residents can preview changes before the next meeting.
The ordinance remains at first reading; no formal vote on adoption was recorded at the Feb. 18 session. The council scheduled additional review and expected edited drafts from the law director before the next meeting.
