Owners of short-term rentals in Juneau protested against a proposed registration plan this week. City officials said that the program will aid them in collecting sales tax as well as provide better information on the Juneau rentals for the short term.
It was expected that the Juneau Assembly was set to decide on the program during its Monday session. After listening to rental companies, they decided that it was time to do more work.
Many speakers, such as Douglas residents Maryann Ray, suggested that the additional paperwork could be time-consuming.
“There’s plenty of control that’s being applied to which is, mostly tiny mom and pop businesses,” Ray said.
The program will give a unique identifier to each rental unit that is short-term and demand owners to put the same number in their online listings. They’ll be assessed a fee of $25 for each time they post properties online without having a proper registration.
Assembly members discussed further regulations during a session earlier this month, referring at communities such as Sitka or Wasilla as an example. Sitka permits owners of short-term rentals to stay on their property for at least half the year, whereas Wasilla only issues 75 permits each year.
Dawn Dulebohn, who also lives in Douglas and has been a AirBnb host since the year 2019. She claimed that regulating short-term rentals was against the efforts to promote local businesses.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I’m local I’m a resident of the city all year round I work here all year round,” she said. “But in the event that my city makes steps to cut my earnings, which are essential for living in an expensive city I am reminded of the steps that which the city is taking to place the needs of seasonal residents first, by promoting the cruise industry. .”
All over the nation, the rise for short-term renting is resulted in housing markets having fewer choices, which are more expensive.. On Monday, however, several operators claimed that the answer to the Juneau housing shortage was to allow more space for development, and not limiting short-term rentals.
in an interview Assembly Member Michelle Hale spoke of the number of muskeg as well as elevation changes on city-owned property makes it more difficult to develop than a general public might think.
“Very very little of the city land available for development is affluent,” she said.
Three individuals spoke in favor of registration programs. Hanna Davis runs an AirBnb from her duplex. She says she understands the need for the city to gather data regarding short-term rentals as housing remains scarce.
It is a style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”The city needs the right metrics regarding our current housing problems,” she said. “If we’re fortunate enough to own a property in this beautiful city, then it’s our responsibility to share information to the city and .”
The Assembly was able to vote 5-3 in favor of sending the resolution back to the Committee of the Whole. The member Waahlaal Giidaak was not present.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I believe that we can return this in a way that people can understand and can follow,” said member Wade Bryson. “Let’s ensure we get the correct .”
