City leaders in Montgomery say they’re close to finalizing rules for short-term rentals across the city. At a city council committee meeting on Tuesday, residents and property owners weighed in.
According to city leaders, a new ordinance regulating short-term rentals is about 90 percent complete. The proposal would require owners to get business licenses and pass safety inspections. Officials are also trying to decide how close rentals should be allowed to operate near each other — especially in residential and historic districts. For Midtown resident Sam McClure, the issue hits close to home.
“I’m sure it serves some function in the city, but it seems to be unregulated and so people are taking advantage of that — renting it just to have a party just to get drunk and all the things that flow from it. It affects the value of other homes in the neighborhood. It affects the sense of safety. We have four children, small children playing in our front yard all the time and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that they’re safe.”…