Clovis commission introduces short‑term rental permitting ordinance, asks staff to refine draft

The Clovis City Commission on Monday voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would create a permitting system for short‑term rentals and amend the city code.

City staff and commissioners spent the discussion outlining enforcement options and how the city would ensure lodgers‑tax collection. A staff member said municipalities sometimes pay private firms to "scrub the Internet" to locate short‑term rentals, noting that the number of listings can differ dramatically between jurisdictions. "If we can't find your short term rental online, then you're probably not renting it very much," Morris said, summarizing an enforcement point raised during the discussion.

Commissioners also asked whether permits should be blocked if a property is delinquent on the lodgers tax. Staff said general language in the draft conditions issuance on compliance with the city's ordinances, rules and regulations, and offered to add explicit language tying permit issuance to current lodgers‑tax status if commissioners want that spelled out.

The commission directed staff to prepare several draft versions incorporating the feedback and to publish the drafts for public review. A commissioner asked that the drafts be posted on the city's website and publicized; staff said materials would be published the Monday before the meeting (the standard 72‑hour posting) and that multiple versions would be available for review in advance of final adoption.

The motion to introduce the ordinance was recorded as coming from Commissioner Jones with a second from Commissioner Garza; the clerk announced the motion carried unanimously. The commission did not adopt the ordinance tonight; staff will work the draft for future consideration and seek public input before final adoption.