Mayor & Commission Meetings

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Monday, October 17, 2022 Committee Members Present: Committee Members Absent: Commissioner Tim Denson, Committee Chair Commissioner Patrick Davenport Commissioner Mike Hamby Commissioner Melissa Link Staff: Josh Edwards, Assistant Manager Sherrie Hines, Chief Assistant Attorney Austin Jackson, Assistant Attorney Brad Griffin, Planning & Zoning Director Cynthia Lambright, Recorder Committee Chair Denson called the meeting to order at 5:44 p.m. A. Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Davenport made the motion to approve the Minutes of the September 19, 2022 meeting. Commissioner Link seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. B. Commission Identified Items of Interest: Consider limitations on the number of short term rentals any individual can manage in residential zones, and the requirement to be a homestead holder to own short term rentals (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on July 19, 2022) Brad Griffin stated that the Athens-Clarke County zoning ordinance is silent on short term rentals. He said that the biggest issues of revising the zoning ordinance will be: what do we as a community want to accomplish, where to allow short term rentals, under what conditions to allow them, are there certain areas that the committee wants to restrict them versus other areas where they may be more appropriate and how to limit them. Vesting of existing short term rentals will be another issue. Discussion was held about possible special use zones and limiting capacity. Commissioner Denson stated the committee should work on a basic definition and on an RFP for the software platform for short term rentals. The Committee’s priorities are: preserving neighborhoods, limiting the number of short term rentals, limiting where they are, and fee and tax collection. Staff will prepare a draft ordinance for review at the next GOC meeting based on the Atlanta Ordinance and including: limiting to short term rentals to 2 per owner, paying business occupation license instead of registration process, and limiting the number in single family zones. Commissioner Link made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Davenport seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.