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Lyons adopts short-term rental rules with tenant-protection language
Summary
The Town of Lyons adopted Ordinance 12-22, updating municipal code on short-term rentals and adding task-force-recommended tenant-protection language; the board discussed enforcement limits and approved the ordinance unanimously.
The Town of Lyons Board of Trustees on a unanimous vote adopted Ordinance 12-22, revising municipal rules for short-term rentals and adding tenant-protection provisions recommended by the town task force.
Town staff summarized recent Planning & Community Development Commission input, saying the PCDC recommended the board consider an offsite-parking policy for special events, address emergency-management planning when special-event lodging is designated, and recognize this as a trial program likely to be amended over time. Brandon, a town staff member, noted that the PCDC also raised concerns about whether RVs and other lodging in the program would have adequate utilities and that some details could be handled in staff regulations.
Gil Schwartz, identifying himself as vice chair of the Sundown Task Force, urged approval during the public hearing, saying, "We recognize it's a first-time effort. We feel there will be adjustments coming in the future and we can amend at that time." Schwartz also said outreach to homeowners associations has produced mixed responses, with at least one HOA objecting.
A trustee moved to amend the ordinance to add the tenant-protection language contained in the meeting packet; the board discussed practical enforcement limits. Brandon and other trustees said enforcement would be complaint-driven and that the town currently lacks the staffing to proactively monitor compliance. Attorney Hickman recommended codifying the protections in the appropriate code section (referenced in the packet as 67170) rather than creating a standalone section.
After discussion, the board voted to adopt the tenant-protection amendment and then to adopt Ordinance 12-22 as amended. Meeting minutes record the adoption as unanimous. The ordinance amends Chapter 6, Article 7 and Chapter 16, Article 10 of the Lyons Municipal Code concerning short-term rentals; the packet describes the tenant-protection language and notes enforcement would initially be complaint-driven.
The board did not specify a new enforcement protocol at the meeting; trustees said staff and the board would determine enforcement resources should complaints arise. The ordinance was adopted and recorded by the clerk; next procedural steps for implementation and any future amendments were not specified at the meeting.
