{"MatterTextId":135421,"MatterTextGuid":"6F9A94A1-DC3D-46A8-B569-E3212F2A11AD","MatterTextLastModifiedUtc":"2025-12-10T21:31:16.55","MatterTextRowVersion":"AAAAAATu74s=","MatterTextMatterId":135874,"MatterTextVersion":"1","MatterTextPlain":"..Title\n\nNotice/Advertisement Title: Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee - Short Term Rentals Hearing\nContact Name: Pedro Mejia\nContact Telephone Number: (614) 645-7565\nContact Email Address: PDMejia@columbus.gov\n\n\n..Body\n\nPublic Safety & Criminal Justice Committee - Short Term Rentals Hearing\nMeeting Minutes\nDecember 9, 2025\n4:30 P.M.\nCouncil Chambers\n\n\nPRESENT\nCouncilmember Emmanuel V. Remy, Councilmember Beatty, Pedro Mejia, Emiliana Morales, Nancy Sully Smith Weir, Tony Celebrezze, Resheda Hansard, Dave Docktor, Susan Sommerfeld, Charles Fitch, Nate Sheppard, Rob Lowenstein, Brad Bader, Tanisha Pruitt, Mark Carter, Kevin McCain \nCALL TO ORDER4:34 P.M. \n\nINTRODUCTION\n[Chair Remy] Thank you for being here to learn about the current regulations on Short Term Rentals and legislation about Short Term Rentals in other communities and cities. This is an exploratory hearing, we are not looking at language or code changes today. \n\nPRESENTATION: Current Trespass Authority for Division of Police\n[Deputy Chief Weir] Over 1,500 service calls, and over 100 that ended up in an arrest. Today, short term rental companies and owners do not have a “Trespass Authorization” which makes it difficult for officers to respond to calls. \n[Chair Remy] Are we specifically discussing about large parties at the few short term rentals? Or is there other reasons? \n[Mr. Weir] It is not just large parties that may involve gun shots, but really the number one call is domestic violence or another similar issues. It is more to prevent a violent altercation from happening, not just large parties. \n[Chair Remy] What does this mean in practice? \n[Mr. Weir] Currently, we will have a party with a “promoter” or a someone at the door taking money to enter the party and have lines of young people or juveniles and officers have to spend time finding the owner in order to shut down the party. This takes time. If the Trespass Authorization was in place with the permitting process, this would not have to be an issue and officers could immediately respond to this and not have to find the owner etc. \n[Chair Remy] Thank you! \n\nPRESENTATION: Current Short-Term Rental Permitting Process\n[Chair Remy] Next, we will learn more about the current permitting process from Deputy Director Tony Celebrezze. \n[Mr. Celebrezze] Thank you for the opportunity to present on this matter. Initial Short Term Rental legislation was passed in 2018 and modified in 2021. This allowed for only property owner or permanent occupant may apply for the Short Term Rental Permit, required a background check, a 24/7 local contact, a host and a property manager (if applicable), a letter of good standing from the division of income tax, application fee, license fee. The license is valid for 1 year. Today, there are 1,535 permits and the majority of these permits are for non primary residents. There are a lot of units that do not have an owner on site and are investment properties. License may be suspended or revoked for any felony in the last 7 years, accessive calls of service (3 or more), etc. \n[Chair Remy] Thank you. There are several cities that have required for the license verification on the platform. Is this something that would be helpful? \n[Mr. Celebrezze] This would be helpful and it would prevent the illegal short term rentals. \n[Chair Remy] I would love to move this process online and get this smoothed out. \n[Mr. Celebrezze] This was moved over to us about a year ago and we are moving this online to make it as easy as possible. \n[Chair Remy] When there are complaints that come in - who is investigating? \n[Mr. Celebrezze] We get complaints through 311 and is funneled to Code Enforcement and start the investigation. \n[Chair Remy] Has there been any issues contacting the point of contact on the license or the owners of the property? \n[Mr. Celebrezze] No, our code officers are very good at what they do. Even when they are owned by LLC’s. \n[Chair Remy] Thank you. \n\nPRESENTATION: Neighbor Notification Requirements in other Municipalities \n[Chair Remy] Next, we will hear from Kevin McCain. \n[Mr. McCain] Thank you for allowing me to be here. Here to present a sample of the research about the Short-Term Rental Notification Requirements. We are still exploring and do not have language we are looking at. This is just to look at what other cities are doing. Currently we require short term rentals to provide a 24/hour contact person, but this is not public information (it does fall under public records request). Toledo requires owners to notify neighbors they are applying for a Short Term Rental permit via mail and other means. Grandview Heights requires for the Short Term Rental to be approved by the planning commission. Other cities were presented that included different timing requirements on notification, who is notified, how they are notified and renewal notification process. Some cities require the 24/7 contact to be shared to neighbors and a response time mandate. \n[Chair Remy] I understanding that the host are very responsive through the app. Thank you for your research on this. In regards to host, we hope they give us feedback as we do look at legislation in the future. \n\nPRESENTATION: Current Tax Collection Procedures Relating to Short-Term Rentals\n[Chair Remy] Next is Resheda Hansard, my goal is to learn more about the tax collection for the short term rental. \n[Ms. Hansard] 5.1% excise lodging tax that is lodged against the guest and collected by the owner of the property. The owner is then required to file their taxes and pay it in the following month. \n[Chair Remy] how is it filed? \n[Ms. Hansard] It is filed, paid and collected via our online platform. \n[Chair Remy] where do these taxes go? What do they pay for? \n[Ms. Hansard] Out of the 5.1% tax: 0.5% goes to the city as an administrative fee, 2.39% goes to the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1.68% Cultural Services and Community Enrichment, 0.6% Emergency Human Services Fund, 0.43% to the Affordable Housing Trust \n[Chair Remy] Do we have a sense of how many returns? \n[Hansard] We have about 1600 short term accounts and 1200 are active. \n[Chair Remy] Thank you. This may be something to keep looking at as we upgrade our systems. \n\nQUESTIONS\n[Chair Remy] Councilmember Beatty and I do not have any additional questions from the presenters. \n\nPUBLIC COMMENTS \n[Remy] We will now move to Public Testimony. First is David Docktor \n[Mr. Docktor] I think the notification for neighbors is needed and a public contact information with a response time would be helpful. I would like to know how many short term licenses are revoked, how many calls happen for licensed vs. Non-licensed, would like to make sure there are smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, how many people/beds for the size of the house, quite hours, etc. \n[Chair Remy] I will have someone to follow up with you about this. The next is Susan Sommerfeld and then Charles Fitch. \n[Ms. Sommerfeld] My house is currently surrounded by 14 short term rentals. I do not think there is a recognition that this is a business. The one next door to me sleeps 16 people in a 4-bed house. The bed and breakfast down the street also sleeps 16 people and is zoned for commercial. That bed and breakfast have to comply with the rules and makes an effort to be a good neighbor and community partner. The one next door does not make an effort to be a good neighbor. The issue is that these owners of the short term rental is not regulated like a business and should be regulated by a bed and breakfast. \n[Chair Remy] Is Mr. Fitch here? Let the record reflect he is not here. Next is Nate Sheppard. \n[Mr. Sheppard] I own a business that is a “co-hosting’ business that supports short term rentals. We have over 20 properties that we help. I would strongly support a platform for collecting taxes. Notification and letters would be challenging depending on the community depending how dense short term rentals are in the neighborhood. The notification requirement should depend on the zoning of the neighborhood. I am supportive on an online renewal process. I would encourage consideration about occupancy limits. A one bed room property can have 4 people but a 5 bed property sleeping 15 seems like too much. Another point is multifamily property, would become effectively a hotel if all the units are short term rentals. I would encourage data sharing with the platforms and the city. \n[Chair Remy] Thank you for being here. \n[CM Beatty] Are you willing to engage on this? In your opinion, why do your customers choose short-term v. long term? \n[Mr. Sheppard] Typically it is an owner that has moved out of their primary residence and are leaving a furnished place. So they decide to do it as a short-term. We also have clients that only live in their residence part time and will do the short-term the other time they are not there. \n[CM Beatty] In this market, do Short-term rental produce more revenue than a long term? \n[Mr. Sheppard] Depends on the size. Larger properties make more as a short term than a long term. \n[CM Beatty] Is our market becoming over saturated in the short term rentals? \n[Mr. Sheppard] I have seen that, but there is pressure and we may see an over saturation. \n[CM Beatty] Thank you! \n[Chair Remy] Thank you. Next is Roy Lownstein \n[Mr. Lownstein] I am the zoning chair of the Near-East Area Commission. This is not the first time Council has explored this. I appreciate that 2021 did improve the situation. We are concerned about the concentrations of short term rentals in certain neighborhoods and the lack of regulations. Short-term rentals do not bring value to the neighborhoods. Neighborhoods want neighbors and we have a current shortage of housing. I encourage that we do something outside of the notification. Can we limit the number in a neighborhood? The properties need to be regulated for safety. \n[Chair Remy] Thank you for being here and your commitment to the Area Commission. \n\nCLOSING REMARKS\n[Chair Remy] Thank you for being here.\n\nADJOURNMENT\nAdjourned at 5:34 PM \n\nYou can reach Councilmember Remy’s Legislative Aide, Pedro Mejia, at <PDMejia@columbus.gov> ","MatterTextRtf":"{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil\\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}}\n{\\colortbl ;\\red0\\green0\\blue192;\\red0\\green0\\blue0;}\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\cf1\\b\\f0\\fs20 ..Title\\cf2\\par\n\\par\nNotice/Advertisement Title\\b0 : Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee - Short Term Rentals Hearing\\par\n\\b Contact Name\\b0 : Pedro Mejia\\par\n\\b Contact Telephone Number\\b0 : (614) 645-7565\\par\n\\b Contact Email Address\\b0 : PDMejia@columbus.gov\\b\\par\n\\par\n\\par\n\\cf1 ..Body\\cf2\\par\n\\par\nPublic Safety & Criminal Justice Committee - Short Term Rentals Hearing\\par\nMeeting Minutes\\par\nDecember 9, 2025\\par\n4:30 P.M.\\par\nCouncil Chambers\\par\n\\par\n\\b0\\par\n\\cf0\\i PRESENT\\i0\\par\nCouncilmember Emmanuel V. Remy, Councilmember Beatty, Pedro Mejia, Emiliana Morales, Nancy Sully Smith Weir, Tony Celebrezze, Resheda Hansard, Dave Docktor, Susan Sommerfeld, Charles Fitch, Nate Sheppard, Rob Lowenstein, Brad Bader, Tanisha Pruitt, Mark Carter, Kevin McCain \\par\nCALL TO ORDER4:34 P.M. \\par\n\\par\n\\i INTRODUCTION\\b\\i0\\par\n\\b0 [Chair Remy] Thank you for being here to learn about the current regulations on Short Term Rentals and legislation about Short Term Rentals in other communities and cities. This is an exploratory hearing, we are not looking at language or code changes today. \\par\n\\par\n\\i PRESENTATION: Current Trespass Authority for Division of Police\\i0\\par\n[Deputy Chief Weir] Over 1,500 service calls, and over 100 that ended up in an arrest. Today, short term rental companies and owners do not have a \\ldblquote Trespass Authorization\\rdblquote  which makes it difficult for officers to respond to calls. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Are we specifically discussing about large parties at the few short term rentals? Or is there other reasons? \\par\n[Mr. Weir] It is not just large parties that may involve gun shots, but really the number one call is domestic violence or another similar issues. It is more to prevent a violent altercation from happening, not just large parties. \\par\n[Chair Remy] What does this mean in practice? \\par\n\\pard\\pagebb [Mr. Weir] Currently, we will have a party with a \\ldblquote promoter\\rdblquote  or a someone at the door taking money to enter the party and have lines of young people or juveniles and officers have to spend time finding the owner in order to shut down the party. This takes time. If the Trespass Authorization was in place with the permitting process, this would not have to be an issue and officers could immediately respond to this and not have to find the owner etc. \\par\n\\pard [Chair Remy] Thank you! \\par\n\\par\n\\i PRESENTATION: Current Short-Term Rental Permitting Process\\i0\\par\n[Chair Remy] Next, we will learn more about the current permitting process from Deputy Director Tony Celebrezze. \\par\n[Mr. Celebrezze] Thank you for the opportunity to present on this matter. Initial Short Term Rental legislation was passed in 2018 and modified in 2021. This allowed for only property owner or permanent occupant may apply for the Short Term Rental Permit, required a background check, a 24/7 local contact, a host and a property manager (if applicable), a letter of good standing from the division of income tax, application fee, license fee. The license is valid for 1 year. Today, there are 1,535 permits and the majority of these permits are for non primary residents. There are a lot of units that do not have an owner on site and are investment properties. License may be suspended or revoked for any felony in the last 7 years, accessive calls of service (3 or more), etc. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Thank you. There are several cities that have required for the license verification on the platform. Is this something that would be helpful? \\par\n[Mr. Celebrezze] This would be helpful and it would prevent the illegal short term rentals. \\par\n[Chair Remy] I would love to move this process online and get this smoothed out. \\par\n[Mr. Celebrezze] This was moved over to us about a year ago and we are moving this online to make it as easy as possible. \\par\n[Chair Remy] When there are complaints that come in - who is investigating? \\par\n[Mr. Celebrezze] We get complaints through 311 and is funneled to Code Enforcement and start the investigation. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Has there been any issues contacting the point of contact on the license or the owners of the property? \\par\n[Mr. Celebrezze] No, our code officers are very good at what they do. Even when they are owned by LLC\\rquote s. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Thank you. \\par\n\\par\n\\i PRESENTATION: Neighbor Notification Requirements in other Municipalities \\i0\\par\n\\pard\\pagebb [Chair Remy] Next, we will hear from Kevin McCain. \\par\n\\pard [Mr. McCain] Thank you for allowing me to be here. Here to present a sample of the research about the Short-Term Rental Notification Requirements. We are still exploring and do not have language we are looking at. This is just to look at what other cities are doing. Currently we require short term rentals to provide a 24/hour contact person, but this is not public information (it does fall under public records request). Toledo requires owners to notify neighbors they are applying for a Short Term Rental permit via mail and other means. Grandview Heights requires for the Short Term Rental to be approved by the planning commission. Other cities were presented that included different timing requirements on notification, who is notified, how they are notified and renewal notification process. Some cities require the 24/7 contact to be shared to neighbors and a response time mandate. \\par\n[Chair Remy] I understanding that the host are very responsive through the app. Thank you for your research on this. In regards to host, we hope they give us feedback as we do look at legislation in the future. \\par\n\\par\n\\i PRESENTATION: Current Tax Collection Procedures Relating to Short-Term Rentals\\i0\\par\n[Chair Remy] Next is Resheda Hansard, my goal is to learn more about the tax collection for the short term rental. \\par\n[Ms. Hansard] 5.1% excise lodging tax that is lodged against the guest and collected by the owner of the property. The owner is then required to file their taxes and pay it in the following month. \\par\n[Chair Remy] how is it filed? \\par\n[Ms. Hansard] It is filed, paid and collected via our online platform. \\par\n[Chair Remy] where do these taxes go? What do they pay for? \\par\n[Ms. Hansard] Out of the 5.1% tax: 0.5% goes to the city as an administrative fee, 2.39% goes to the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1.68% Cultural Services and Community Enrichment, 0.6% Emergency Human Services Fund, 0.43% to the Affordable Housing Trust \\par\n[Chair Remy] Do we have a sense of how many returns? \\par\n[Hansard] We have about 1600 short term accounts and 1200 are active. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Thank you. This may be something to keep looking at as we upgrade our systems. \\par\n\\par\n\\i QUESTIONS\\i0\\par\n[Chair Remy] Councilmember Beatty and I do not have any additional questions from the presenters. \\par\n\\par\n\\i PUBLIC COMMENTS \\i0\\par\n[Remy] We will now move to Public Testimony. First is David Docktor \\par\n\\pard\\pagebb [Mr. Docktor] I think the notification for neighbors is needed and a public contact information with a response time would be helpful. I would like to know how many short term licenses are revoked, how many calls happen for licensed vs. Non-licensed, would like to make sure there are smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, how many people/beds for the size of the house, quite hours, etc. \\par\n\\pard [Chair Remy] I will have someone to follow up with you about this. The next is Susan Sommerfeld and then Charles Fitch. \\par\n[Ms. Sommerfeld] My house is currently surrounded by 14 short term rentals. I do not think there is a recognition that this is a business. The one next door to me sleeps 16 people in a 4-bed house. The bed and breakfast down the street also sleeps 16 people and is zoned for commercial. That bed and breakfast have to comply with the rules and makes an effort to be a good neighbor and community partner. The one next door does not make an effort to be a good neighbor. The issue is that these owners of the short term rental is not regulated like a business and should be regulated by a bed and breakfast. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Is Mr. Fitch here? Let the record reflect he is not here. Next is Nate Sheppard. \\par\n[Mr. Sheppard] I own a business that is a \\ldblquote co-hosting\\rquote  business that supports short term rentals. We have over 20 properties that we help. I would strongly support a platform for collecting taxes. Notification and letters would be challenging depending on the community depending how dense short term rentals are in the neighborhood. The notification requirement should depend on the zoning of the neighborhood. I am supportive on an online renewal process. I would encourage consideration about occupancy limits. A one bed room property can have 4 people but a 5 bed property sleeping 15 seems like too much. Another point is multifamily property, would become effectively a hotel if all the units are short term rentals. I would encourage data sharing with the platforms and the city. \\par\n[Chair Remy] Thank you for being here. \\par\n[CM Beatty] Are you willing to engage on this? In your opinion, why do your customers choose short-term v. long term? \\par\n[Mr. Sheppard] Typically it is an owner that has moved out of their primary residence and are leaving a furnished place. So they decide to do it as a short-term. We also have clients that only live in their residence part time and will do the short-term the other time they are not there. \\par\n[CM Beatty] In this market, do Short-term rental produce more revenue than a long term? \\par\n[Mr. Sheppard] Depends on the size. Larger properties make more as a short term than a long term. \\par\n[CM Beatty] Is our market becoming over saturated in the short term rentals? \\par\n[Mr. Sheppard] I have seen that, but there is pressure and we may see an over saturation. \\par\n[CM Beatty] Thank you! \\par\n[Chair Remy] Thank you. Next is Roy Lownstein \\par\n\\pard\\pagebb [Mr. Lownstein] I am the zoning chair of the Near-East Area Commission. This is not the first time Council has explored this. I appreciate that 2021 did improve the situation. We are concerned about the concentrations of short term rentals in certain neighborhoods and the lack of regulations. Short-term rentals do not bring value to the neighborhoods. Neighborhoods want neighbors and we have a current shortage of housing. I encourage that we do something outside of the notification. Can we limit the number in a neighborhood? The properties need to be regulated for safety. \\par\n\\pard [Chair Remy] Thank you for being here and your commitment to the Area Commission. \\par\n\\par\n\\i CLOSING REMARKS\\i0\\par\n[Chair Remy] Thank you for being here.\\par\n\\par\n\\i ADJOURNMENT\\b\\i0\\par\n\\b0 Adjourned at 5:34 PM \\par\n\\par\nYou can reach Councilmember Remy\\rquote s Legislative Aide, Pedro Mejia, at \\i <PDMejia@columbus.gov> \\i0\\par\n}\n"}