Basehor staff recommend 8% transient guest tax and short-term rental registration with $150 annual fee

City Planner Alex Van Dyke presented a two-part proposal to the Basehor City Council during a Feb. 11 work session: (1) consider implementing a transient guest (lodging) tax — commonly applied to hotel and short-term rental stays of 28 days or less — and (2) create a short-term rental registration and regulation program.

Van Dyke explained the tax would be paid by non-permanent residents who rent for 28 days or fewer and recommended an 8% rate based on regional comparisons. "This body considers an implementation of an 8% transient guest tax as would be in line with the cities that we see in the region," he said. David (transcript_label: 14) advised the council that state statute provides a 2% baseline and that adopting a higher rate would require a charter ordinance; he noted the county recently chartered out to impose 6% in unincorporated areas and that the city’s legal process would need to be followed for any larger rate.

On short-term rental rules, staff recommended a registration system to identify rental properties and provide an enforcement contact, and a posted "good neighbor" policy inside and on the door of rental units covering occupancy, noise and parking standards. Van Dyke proposed a $150 annual registration fee intended to offset enforcement costs and said penalties such as fines or license revocation could follow repeat nuisance complaints. Council members asked about enforcement against unregistered rentals, how family stays would be treated (exempt), and confirmed the transient guest tax and rental registration would be presented as two separate ordinance items for future action.