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Council approves first reading of ordinance to allow liens for unpaid transient‑occupancy tax
Summary
After staff described a gap in the municipal code that limited the city's ability to place liens for unpaid transient‑occupancy tax (TOT), the council approved a first reading to add a lien mechanism; staff and the police chief explained how the change would help recover delinquent TOT.
Staff explained that the Mount Shasta municipal code currently lacks a mechanism to place liens to recover unpaid transient‑occupancy tax (TOT), limiting the city's ability to recover large unpaid amounts when operators fail to remit funds. The police chief said the proposed change would allow the city to recover costs and prevent operators from avoiding liability through bankruptcy or new LLCs: “TOT is not their money. It is the public's money that they're holding for us,” he said.
Public commenters supported stronger collection tools; the chief and other staff walked through how the new lien authority would interact with existing administrative citations and business-license enforcement for unpermitted short‑term rentals. The council moved the ordinance to a second reading by title only.
