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Mayor warns short-term rentals reduce housing stock; council approves zoning amendment
Summary
The Effingham City Council approved a zoning text amendment to allow short-term rentals through a special-use process after debate about housing supply and neighborhood impacts; the measure passed with one nay recorded.
Effingham Mayor Schutzbach said she opposed broader allowance of short-term rentals, saying neighbors often become de facto enforcers and that the units remove scarce housing from the local rental market. "First off, everyone knows that I wasn't in favor of short term rentals," she said, adding that every unit matters for recruiting workers to town.
Council members who supported the amendment argued the zoning change provides a public process and safeguards through the special-use review. One commissioner said previous opposition left property owners without an avenue to apply for a special use and that the revised text restores that opportunity. After discussion, the council voted to adopt the amendment (Ordinance No. 44 2026) amending the city zoning code to address short-term rentals; the roll-call vote recorded one 'nay.'
The ordinance had been considered previously by the planning commission, which held public hearings on Feb. 10 and March 10 and returned a 4–2 recommendation in favor of the text amendment. Council members noted the existing process gives neighbors notice of planning hearings and the ability to object before an approval is final.
The change allows owners in qualifying zoning districts to seek a special-use permit for short-term rental operations; staff and commissioners emphasized the city can revoke approvals for violations of local rules. The council did not change state law; several members said the text amendment is intended to balance property-owner opportunities with neighborhood protections.
The city clerk recorded the motion, a second, and the roll-call tally. The ordinance moves the matter into local code; additional implementation details and enforcement steps will be handled administratively.
