City Council Meeting - 2023-03-24

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — March 24, 2023 ATTENDEES: Roll call referenced Jamie Melky, Matt Muggera, John Kopfster and John Leo. • The council convened a special meeting primarily to approve the minutes from its March 20 meeting. The stated reason was that a DNR grant is due by April 1, and the DNR requested approved minutes from the public hearing. • The consent agenda was approved. The transcript records four affirmative responses during the vote, followed by a declaration that the motion carried. • During public comment, Linda Rockwood of 519 East 3rd Street said the Planning Commission had done strong work gathering input and studying short-term-rental approaches used elsewhere. She said the commission appeared close to bringing a proposed ordinance to the council. • Rockwood asked the council to reduce the proposed cap on short-term rentals in residential areas from 61 to 50 through attrition. She said she had no data for the number but believed a lower cap would give the city time to see how the ordinance works and how it can be enforced. She also said her personal preference would be no short-term rentals in residential areas. • Rockwood described four short-term rentals within two blocks of East 3rd Street and recounted a past incident involving a renter apparently trying to avoid an estranged husband. She urged the council to consider community security and enforcement when considering the ordinance, noting that rules that cannot be enforced are ineffective. • No additional old business was discussed. The meeting adjourned after the approval of the consent agenda. Worth watching: • Whether the Planning Commission’s short-term-rental proposal reaches the council and retains, lowers, or otherwise changes the residential cap of 61. • How the city would enforce any short-term-rental regulations, an issue raised during public comment. • Whether the approved March 20 minutes are included with the DNR grant materials before the April 1 deadline. Upcoming: The DNR grant is due April 1; no future council meeting date was announced in the transcript. Why it matters: The council completed a required step for the grant while public input highlighted unresolved policy choices on residential short-term rentals, enforcement, and neighborhood security.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.