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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, October 9, 2017 <br />7:00 o'clock p.m. <br />Walsh stated the question is whether the property owner's rights outweigh the neighbors' property rights. <br />Wolfson commented he is not sure whether there is any hard data that Orono is experiencing any issues. <br />Dankey stated she is in agreement with the property rights and that in her view a license works. <br />Wolfson stated he also pays a fee every time he rents the property out to help offset the City's <br />enforcement costs. <br />Printup stated the price point could also mean that more people share in the rental fee. <br />Kristi Anderson, 1408 Baldur Park Road, noted she did send an e-mail to each of the Council Members <br />yesterday enumerating the reasons why they have been experiencing issues. Anderson stated the <br />Minnesota Short-term Rental Agreement references Shorewood and the fact that they do not have the <br />resources to possibly enforce a lot of issues, which is why they chose to prohibit them. The City of <br />Savage banned rental of homes for shorter than 15 days because they felt it rose to the level of a business. <br />Anderson stated the question is whether the right of someone to rent their property rises to the level of a <br />business, and if the City Council is looking at creating a resort atmosphere similar to Stillwater, even they <br />have put other restrictions on it, such as limiting the number of rentals and limiting the number of <br />bedrooms that can be rented out. Stillwater has also adopted a policy of three strikes and you are out. <br />Anderson stated there are a lot of tools and resources out there that can be implemented and that she is <br />hoping Orono will have this conversation because as a resident she feels the use has intensified over the <br />past few years. <br />Anderson stated they have major safety concerns with short-term rentals because they now have strangers <br />that are renting next door. The house is on a 50 -foot lot and the online advertising for the house states <br />that it accommodates 12 to 15, which turns into a party. Anderson indicated she has a daughter who does <br />not want to step outside because she gets heckled and is subject to lewd comments if she has a swimming <br />suit on. Anderson commented it is appalling to her that every time she steps outside she has to see if <br />there is a dog out there that might attack or whether someone else is out there. Anderson stated she is not <br />quite sure that this is something the Council has given much thought to. Anderson questioned why the <br />City is protecting the renters as opposed to all the neighbors who are paying their taxes and are <br />homesteaded and want to protect the character of their neighborhood. <br />Anderson stated her neighborhood consists of 50 -foot lots and the residents are very close to each other. <br />Every weekend there is a different party that brings in anywhere from 12 to 28 cars. Baldur Park Point is <br />a small, narrow street, and if there are 28 cars there for a party at a rental house, it deters everyone from <br />enjoying their leisure time. <br />Anderson stated the City Council should consider whether short-term rentals belong on a small lot like <br />hers. Anderson noted the City of Prior Lake used a sliding scale to limit the number of people and to <br />allow something more reasonable. If the house has four bedrooms, maybe eight people are allowed. <br />Anderson stated there have also been weddings at the neighboring house and that they asked if they could <br />hang lights from their trees. Anderson stated they are used to being very neighborly but that this has <br />stifled all that. <br />Page 3 of 7 <br />