Local officials oppose short-term rentals bill

OAK HARBOR — Local officials in Erie and Ottawa counties lined up Thursday night to oppose a bill that would block local communities from banning short-term rentals, such as those offered by Airbnb. A public hearing on the measure, Senate Bill 104, organized by local lawmaker state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, occurred in Damschroder Hall at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds in Oak Harbor. About 200 people attended. The public hearing lasted for two hours and featured state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, the author of the bill, along with many local elected officials. Senate Bill 104, if passed in its current form, would prevent local governments from banning short-term rentals. It would also ban using zoning requirements to prohibit or limit short-term rental properties in areas that are zoned to allow for residential use. Furthermore it also specifies that all short-term rentals would pay the same lodging tax that applies to hotel rooms. 'We're not investors' After the hearing, Brenner phoned the Register to clarify that his bill would block any future bans by local governments. "My bill grandfathers (in) all the existing restrictions," he said. "The amended version of the bill does that. I don't want to do it, but we did it." Local governments that have banned or restricted short-term rentals would keep that in effect, he said. Brenner says he is offering the bill to protect the property rights of homeowners who have bought or renovated homes, thinking that they would be able to use short-term rentals to cover their costs. Vincent Frillici, Airbnb's policy manager for the Great Lakes, said that, so far this year, nine small towns have banned short-term rentals. In some cases, the ban was imposed so quickly, Airbnb had no time to tell its members about the proposed ban to give the homeowners a chance to oppose it, he said. A few people who spoke at Thursday's hearing backed the bill. Brady Best, owner of Best Fit CPA in Bowling Green, said her family bought a condo in Port Clinton as a vacation home. The only reason the family could afford it was because it would be rented out part of the time, Best said. "We're not investors or a corporation. We're just a family," Best said. 'I favor local control' But backers of the bill were outnumbered by opponents who said they view it as an attack on local control. The opponents included Jeff Krabill. Krabill, a Sandusky city commissioner, attended Thursday's meeting as part of the panel that included Brenner and Frillici. Krabill revealed that he himself owns a short-term rental property, so he's not opposed to allowing them. But he said such decisions should be made by local government officials. "I favor local control in most everything," he said, citing the old axiom that decisions are best made at the local level. "We are in the best position to deal with issues as they arise, including short-term rentals," he said. Other local officials who spoke Thursday and said they oppose the bill for reasons of local control included: • Diane Belden, a Catawba Island Township trustee • Christopher Enoch, an Ottawa County assistant prosecutor • Joel Hagy, a Huron city councilman • John Starcher, the mayor of Marblehead • Kathy Dale, zoning administrator for Danbury Township • Ron Ehrbar, Kelleys Island's mayor • Chris Singerling, economic development director for the Ottawa County Improvement Corp. • Beth Gillman, chair of the Ottawa County Democratic Party • Judy Berry, Put-in-Bay's mayor • Mike Snider, Port Clinton's mayor. Larry Fletcher, executive director of Shores & Islands Ohio, also spoke to oppose the bill on local control grounds. Although Fletcher said he's pleased the bill would mandate that everyone has to pay lodging taxes, including short-term rentals. A number of private citizens also lined up to take the microphone and denounce the bill. Gavarone served as an emcee for the public hearing, mainly intervening to make sure everyone who wanted to would have a chance to speak before the hearing ended. Gavarone noted that the bill likely will be amended as it goes through the process. It was introduced last February and remains in the Ohio Senate's local government committee. But she said local control is important to her. "I am a strong believer in local control," Gavarone said, noting that she began her political career as a member of a city council. Gavarone is a former member of the Bowling Green City Council. She then served in the Ohio House before taking up her current position as a member of the Ohio Senate, serving in District 2, which includes Erie and Ottawa counties.