By unanimous vote, the board adopted a $370 one-time permit for short-term rental owners, along with a series of other rules recommended by the county’s resident-led planning commission.
“This has been circling the county board for the past 10 years — it has not gone away,” said Commissioner Keith Nelson, who joined a chorus of commissioners in describing the regulations as fair and necessary.
The board took up the issue after it previously declined to adopt regulations three other times dating back to 2004.
The public hearing prior to the board vote saw residents for and against the measure fill Hibbing City Hall.
Some neighbors to short-term rentals described issues with parking, trespassing, noise and worse. Paul Klassen, of Pequaywan Township, said he’s been stolen from.
“Every time I say something, I get retaliated against,” he said. “They’re solely rented for commercial use. Residential (property) should be left to residential (use).”
Proponents of short-term rentals said many who do so were just trying to make money to offset their escalating property taxes.
“You’ve got to empower the little guy,” Kristina Anderson, of Hibbing, said. “What you’re doing is empowering the county.”
“It’s not a free-for-all, and this is unneeded regulation,” Mike Parrott, of Solway Township, said. “We pay taxes; we own it; we should be able to do reasonable things on our property.”
Testimony from the county said there were currently 250 or so such properties under county jurisdiction. The county’s ordinance does not have authority over a host of cities and townships, including Duluth, Ely and Hoyt Lakes, which govern their own zoning.
“We’ve formulated what I believe is a balanced document, that will address the regulation and public health and safety, but allow the industry to grow and prosper,” Darren Jablonsky, deputy director of planning and community development, said.
The new regulations will go into place immediately and short-term rental owners will have the remainder of the year to comply.
During testimony, multiple people addressed a social media misinformation campaign which was anti-regulation. It attempted to color the topic as one driven by the traditional hospitality industry, including hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast establishments.
“I saw a great deal of misinformation and that was one of our biggest hurdles,” Board Chair Mike Jugovich said.
“I witnessed commissioners accused of taking bribes from the hospitality industry,” said Cook resident Daniel Manick, a member of the planning commission that recommended the new rules. “I was embarrassed to see what was out there.”
In the end, several commissioners agreed that the new rules may require the board to revisit matters in order to tweak things in the event of unintended consequences.
"It's not something set in stone," Commissioner Paul McDonald said.
"I look forward to seeing where this goes in the next year," Commissioner Patrick Boyle said. "I want to be respectful of people running (Vrbo) and also the public health and safety issue."
Short-term rental owners will now be required to post emergency and home operator contacts, and aquatic invasive species prevention guidelines. They'll also need to provide visual demarcation of property lines, and have liability insurance on file with the county. Violations will result in the permit being declared null and void.
Also, rentals must include a 300-foot buffer in residential areas from other short-term rentals. Owners who want multiple properties within a buffer can apply for a conditional use permit. Permit holders will also need to obtain and maintain a lodging license from the Minnesota Department of Health, and be in compliance with existing county septic and solid-waste ordinances.
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February 26, 2020 at 06:00AM
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St. Louis County adopts permitting for short-term rentals - Duluth News Tribune
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