Council tables short-term rentals ordinances

BELLA VISTA — Two ordinances dealing with legislation of short-term rentals in Bella Vista received a lot of attention June 27 at the regular session of the Bella Vista City Council with 30 individuals speaking at the session on the pros and cons of the ordinances and shortterm rentals in the city in general.

A near-capacity crowd attended the meeting, held at the District Court Building, with 37 signing up to speak during the citizen input portion of the session.

The first of the two ordinances called for amending the city’s Code of Ordinances to “define short-term rentals, to provide for inclusion of short-term rental uses within the table of uses, to determine a short-term rental usage as of right or with a conditional use permit within particular zones, and for other purposes” while the second was proposed to “provide for the requirement of a permit to operate a short-term rental, to provide a process for revocation of a short-term rental permit, to provide safety inspection requirements for short-term rentals, to provide occupancy limits for shortterm rentals, providing penalties for violations, and for other purposes.”

Council members Doug Fowler, the author of the two ordinances, was unable to attend the session due to health issues. Due to his absence, as well as the fact the ordinances would require readings in three successive monthly sessions (unless the council voted to suspend the rules and move them to a third and final reading their first time on the agenda) before being voted on by the council, the option of tabling the ordinances was discussed before the citizen input portion of the session began.

Given the chance to speak at a later session, one in which Fowler would be in attendance, many who had signed up to speak deferred to the later date.

The council then heard comments from the 30 individuals who chose to speak and learned some of them had information and contacts that might be deemed useful in further discussions about the topics covered by these ordinances, which eventually led to the council voting to table both for four months when they came up for discussion later in the session.

At that point in the session council member Jerry Snow said, “I would think that from what we’ve heard tonight that this obviously needs a considerable bit more work. And it’s become known that we have … at least one individual who could possibly have a considerable amount of valuable input on this ordinance … so I will make a motion that these be tabled until the October meeting.”

The council then voted unanimously to table the two ordinances.