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The City of LaGrange has continued a discussion of potential regulations for short-term rentals.

During the recent mayor and council work session, the city discussed a trio of potential regulation options that were sent for recommendations to the Planning Board.

The first option considered was either requiring all short-term rentals to have a special use permit, which would require a public hearing and council approval. Alternatively, the city could not require a special use permit, which would allow staff to approve short-term rentals if they meet the required conditions, including having liability insurance and following a set of good-neighbor policies.

The second option presented to the board was only allowing short-term rentals within a predetermined distance to Lafayette Square, ranging from one-half mile to one mile.

“The logic of this goal of short-term rental is to support tourism. With the exception of West Point Lake, it is widely considered that the downtown district and its corresponding amenities and attraction is a primary tourist drive,” Community Development Director Alton West said.

The third option presented was to leave short-term rentals unregulated.

“We had individuals that talked about the fact that you have 99% of the [short-term rentals] that are located in our community that never had any incident whatsoever, and then you now are trying to create something for the one incident that took place,” West said.

Ultimately, the planning board recommended not requiring a special use permit for short-term rentals and allowing them to be approved by staff with the good neighbor conditions.

West said the good neighbor policy would need to be created but could include requirements for a 24-hour contact person, parking regulations, noise rules and notifying neighbors within 500 feet of any new rentals. The revocation of the license will be left up to the determination of the city manager.

“This issue is all over the place and I think the council is all over the place on it as well,  just as the citizens of LaGrange are. They’ve been pulling me for the last two weeks wanting it highly regulated, no regulation or all in between,” Mayor Jim Arrington said.

“We just need to figure out where we want to go as a council and what we want to do with these short-term rentals. I think we owe it to our citizens to put some ordinances in place on them, but also think that we need to make sure we’re not totally making this unavailable to anybody that wants it,” Arrington said.

Council Members Nathan Gaskin and Darby Pippin said that they would not be in favor of the options that would require public hearings or limit the rentals to a radius from Downtown LaGrange.

Pippin suggested that parking at the rentals should be limited by the number of bedrooms or something clearly visible so that law enforcement can easily handle noise violence issues.

Police Chief Garrett Fiveash said that the city’s noise ordinance also needs to be updated as it currently does not have time stipulations.

Councilman Tom Gore asked why the planning board recommended the option that would not require a public hearing, noting he believes citizens want public hearings for new short-term rental properties.

Arrington said they felt that if hearings were required very few would ever make it through.

“The whole neighborhood would be out because nobody wants one in their backyard unless it’s theirs,” Arrington said. “Whereas it’s okay if it’s across town.”

Councilman Leon Childs voiced support for requiring public hearings.

“I am against not having a public hearing because I feel that you’re taking away those people’s voices. I don’t care if there are no short-term rentals that make it or not. You’re taking away those people’s voices,” Childs said.

Councilman Quay Boddie asked for something in the middle.’

“I feel like there should be some type of stipulations on it, but at the same time don’t want to put it in a choke hold,” Boddie said, adding he believes public hearings should be held as well.

Gaskin noted that short-term rentals are businesses and most businesses do not require a public hearing.

“If I’m not mistaken, you don’t have to have a public hearing for just about any other type of business to be located, whether it’s a home business or anything like that,” Gaskin said, noting the public hearings could potentially open the issue up for discrimination.

City Attorney Jeff Todd noted that the city already has laws against discrimination. He added that the council would have to base their decision on set factors similar to what they do for zoning changes.

Councilman Mark Mitchell said from what he has gathered from citizens the problem is not people coming and staying in rentals. It’s the partying.

“You can’t go to a hotel and register with four people in a two-bed-room and have 25 people in your room,” Mitchell said. “I’m trying to be reasonable but you’ve got to have some regulations.”

City Manager Patrick Bowie said most ordinances limit rentals to one car per bedroom and two people per bedroom.

Arrington said the majority consensus from the council was to follow the planning board’s recommendation to leave the issue for staff approval, but the details on the rules and regulations like the number of persons allowed in the rental need to be worked out.