05.20.2020 City Council Work Session Minutes

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MOTION: Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Semple, moved to direct the City Manager to prepare an ordinance and schedule a June public hearing and July action requiring short term rentals to obtain a license from the City with the only license requirement being the provision of information related to the STR (such as whether or not the STR is owner -occupied and a local contact number) and the quarterly provision of information regarding rental dates, the number of nights stayed by each rental party, and the number of occupants per stay; and including an accountability mechanism and fee. • Councilor Taylor - stated this is not just a nuisance problem and Council must act now to prevent homes from being bought up and turned into STRs, driving up home prices and preventing moderate -income residents from being able to rent; stated the City should be limiting the number of STRs to maintain neighborhood livability, the owner -occupy provision would take care of a lot of the problem, and nuisance enforcement has always been needed. MOTION to SUBSTITUTE: Councilor Taylor moved to direct the City Manager to schedule a June public hearing and July action on the draft ordinance that was presented to Council on December 11, 2019. There was no second. • Councilor Clark- stated there is a difference between registering and licensing that requires a fee; stated nuisance enforcement is the issue and not just with STRs; said he understands there may be more of an issue with STRs around the University area and suggested the fix is to do a better job enforcing the nuisance code especially around the University; stated it does not seem right to pay for an entirely new position by licensing STRs which are already down, rather than just ask for information. • Councilor Semple - stated she doesn't think licensing is needed but could support charging a registration fee; stated the data collected now and in the near future will be reflective of the pandemic, owner occupancy should not be threatened, there should be no restriction on number of days rented, and registration should be with the online platforms; asked how much would be charged for a fee and how long before a check -in occurs. • Councilor Evans - asked the City Attorney if a new ordinance must be developed or could existing ordinances be amended, such as the social host ordinance and a parking ordinance, to address the issues that have been outlined; stated there is already a chronic housing condition in Eugene that Council has been struggling to solve, and advised acting carefully. • Councilor Syrett - stated she felt the original draft ordinance was over -regulatory and her preference would be a registration system first, then consider a licensing system with a fee; stated she could support the motion with a small fee and the idea of a moratorium on issuing new licenses for a certain amount of time, such as 18 months; stated she would like to see potential amendments to current ordinances that might fix these problems. MOTION to AMEND: Councilor Syrett, seconded by Councilor Semple, moved to amend the motion to direct the City Manager to bring back recommendations for amendments to current City code that could address the issues raised by short-term rentals including occupancy numbers and parking, and to include a moratorium on the issuing of new licenses for a period of 18 months from the implementation of the proposed license ordinance. • Councilor Zelenka - stated he feels a moratorium is unnecessary since there essentially is a moratorium due to the pandemic and doesn't think good data will be obtained during this time; MINUTES - Eugene City Council May 20, 2020 Page 3 Work Session