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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, April 11, 2016 <br />7:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 28 of 32 <br /> <br />16. #15-3759 CITY OF ORONO TEXT AMENDMENT – SHORT-TERM (VACATION) <br />RENTALS (continued) <br />Carter indicated she is totally fine with an ordinance requiring a license since it would add a little bit of <br />legitimacy to the business. Carter noted the ordinance in Section 2, Item B, refers to obtaining a business <br />license, but when she went on the City’s website, she could not find any reference to a business license. <br /> <br />Walsh noted it is brand new and not on the website. <br /> <br />Carter stated she would be curious to know what the Council is thinking about a license fee. Carter <br />indicated she sees the ordinance as being reasonable but would recommend not looking at a longer period <br />of time. <br /> <br />Cornick asked if she would be happy if the City of Orono banned rentals greater than five days and less <br />than 30 days. <br /> <br />Carter indicated she would be fine with it since it would not affect her but that it would impact everyone <br />on Big Island that is renting their property out. Carter stated she is not sure why the City would put those <br />parameters on. Carter stated most people rent their properties out depending on what they find works best <br />for them. <br /> <br />Printup asked if a business license would trigger an inspection and code issues. <br /> <br />Barnhart indicated Staff approached the business license similar to a home occupation. The challenge is <br />to determine who is running a home business but that those rules are already in place. Barnhart stated the <br />idea with the business license is that the City would have an easier ability to respond to complaints. <br /> <br />Barnhart stated if the Council is looking at going down the path of requiring licenses, the fee schedule <br />would need to be amended. Barnhart noted the initial fee for a home occupation is $100 and the annual <br />renewal is $30. Barnhart stated the idea is Staff can compare the renewal application with the history of <br />the property and any complaints that have been filed. Barnhart stated if Staff ever gets to the point where <br />they have to prove someone is renting, that is where it becomes a challenge. <br /> <br />Printup asked whether this will lead to a discussion about longer-term rentals. <br /> <br />Barnhart stated currently people can rent their homes out for any period of time and that in his view this <br />draft ordinance will not lead to a discussion regarding long-term rentals. Barnhart stated some people are <br />renting their home out for six months, a year or two years, and the City is not aware of it. <br /> <br />Walsh stated they are strictly parceling out those rentals that are less than 30 days. <br /> <br />Mattick stated if someone is going to rent their house for less than 30 days, the City wants to know about <br />it and that these are the rules. <br /> <br />McMillan asked what responsibility the City will assume by granting a business license. McMillan asked <br />whether the City will have placed their stamp of approval on this type of business by granting a business <br />license.