News
Recent actions of the City Council regarding vacation-home rentals reflect on the lack of leadership in establishing meaningful priorities for city government.
The requirement that every vacation rental post an exterior sign so that would-be thieves, vandals and vagrant trespassers know which houses to hit reflects how their zealousness in pursuing personal vendettas spills over into official government actions.
The Vacation Rental Working Group - composed of the city attorney, advocates for and against vacation rentals, the police department and property managers - had endorsed the listing of vacation-rental permits on the city Web site. Posting a sign on 1,300-plus homes in our community would be redundant and costly, not to mention unattractive.
Not happy with the lack of complaints registered against these 1,300-plus vacation-rental properties (only 22 in 2006-'07), council members Lovell, Birdwell and Crawford "ganged up" on an industry that contributes approximately $2 million annually to the city's operations, in an initial attempt to restrict the constitutional right of future property owners to rent their homes. They totally backed off this ridiculous idea when confronted by the community, citizens, businesses and property owners.
Now, having to retreat from their folly, they had to come up with additional restrictions to harm the industry and out-of-area owners who contribute significant monies to the local economy, which isn't in the best of shape right now.
Their "lawmaking stupidity" can cause a significant fine for a guest of a vacation-rental home who parks his vehicle past 10 p.m. in front of a house.
The three council members also are hiring an additional employee at a cost of $90,000-plus in the hope of developing more complaints against vacation properties.
Councilman Birdwell apparently has his own conflicts with the rental of vacation homes, which he seems to perceive as competition to his bed-and-breakfast operation. Retreating from the community's reaction to their ill-fated plan to restrict vacation rentals, he didn't mind sticking it to the vacation rentals by voting on motions requiring signs, hiring an unneeded additional city employee and invoking seemingly unenforceable parking regulations against a specific class of people.
Councilman Crawford, who is usually the "Lone Ranger" in his erudite expositions, joined the "Gang of Two" and expressed a seemingly anti-tourism attitude.
Councilman Crawford was also the member who apparently spearheaded the drive to force boat trailers off Venice Drive near the Tahoe Keys Marina. They are now parked scattered all over the residential areas of the Keys, restricting parking of both locals and guests in that neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the city will have to deal with these lawmakers in the future, as the two reasonable, thinking and intelligent councilmen, Ted Long and Mike Weber, are in the minority and are required to share the podium with these shortsighted council members fulfilling their personal agendas.
- Jim Morris is president of Lake Tahoe Accommodations.
The requirement that every vacation rental post an exterior sign so that would-be thieves, vandals and vagrant trespassers know which houses to hit reflects how their zealousness in pursuing personal vendettas spills over into official government actions.
The Vacation Rental Working Group - composed of the city attorney, advocates for and against vacation rentals, the police department and property managers - had endorsed the listing of vacation-rental permits on the city Web site. Posting a sign on 1,300-plus homes in our community would be redundant and costly, not to mention unattractive.
Not happy with the lack of complaints registered against these 1,300-plus vacation-rental properties (only 22 in 2006-'07), council members Lovell, Birdwell and Crawford "ganged up" on an industry that contributes approximately $2 million annually to the city's operations, in an initial attempt to restrict the constitutional right of future property owners to rent their homes. They totally backed off this ridiculous idea when confronted by the community, citizens, businesses and property owners.
Now, having to retreat from their folly, they had to come up with additional restrictions to harm the industry and out-of-area owners who contribute significant monies to the local economy, which isn't in the best of shape right now.
Their "lawmaking stupidity" can cause a significant fine for a guest of a vacation-rental home who parks his vehicle past 10 p.m. in front of a house.
The three council members also are hiring an additional employee at a cost of $90,000-plus in the hope of developing more complaints against vacation properties.
Councilman Birdwell apparently has his own conflicts with the rental of vacation homes, which he seems to perceive as competition to his bed-and-breakfast operation. Retreating from the community's reaction to their ill-fated plan to restrict vacation rentals, he didn't mind sticking it to the vacation rentals by voting on motions requiring signs, hiring an unneeded additional city employee and invoking seemingly unenforceable parking regulations against a specific class of people.
Councilman Crawford, who is usually the "Lone Ranger" in his erudite expositions, joined the "Gang of Two" and expressed a seemingly anti-tourism attitude.
Councilman Crawford was also the member who apparently spearheaded the drive to force boat trailers off Venice Drive near the Tahoe Keys Marina. They are now parked scattered all over the residential areas of the Keys, restricting parking of both locals and guests in that neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the city will have to deal with these lawmakers in the future, as the two reasonable, thinking and intelligent councilmen, Ted Long and Mike Weber, are in the minority and are required to share the podium with these shortsighted council members fulfilling their personal agendas.
- Jim Morris is president of Lake Tahoe Accommodations.
