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St.Paul mulls rules for short-term home rentals http://e.starnibune.com/Olive/Tablet/StarTribune/SharedArticle.aspx? operating in the city, staff found. "I'm not really sure there is a crying need right now for this," Council Member Rebecca Noecker said. She was the lone vote against moving forward with the work group. The City Council will consider the topic again after it receives the group's recommendations. Weighing regulation Cities from Duluth to New Orleans have looked at regulating online property rental companies. In the St. Paul report, staff said cities that have seen the most success categorized rentals, imposed safety standards, added fees and fines to ensure compliance and re-examined their rules after they were put in place, updating them as need�d. "We're not looking to come down hard. We're looking to work with the industry to come up with the right recommendations that suit St. Paul," said Ricardo Cervantes , director of the Department of Safety and Inspections. City staff has been talking with Airbnb, and Cervantes said the company's goals align with the city's — neither wants bad operators. "They're really interested in hosting safe and healthy environments," he said. "They have a brand to protect." New rental regulations could also increase city tax revenue. The tax revenue collected in 2015 is less than it should have been, given the number of short-term rentals advertised online, according to city staff members. Staff estimated about 25o short-term rental properties exist in St. Paul. But the revenue the city could collect from that number of rentals would be minimal, Tolbert said, adding, "My goal is not about the tax, it's more about the public safety." However, city officials said they expect the number of short-term rentals to increase, particularly around the Super Bowl. The city's 3 percent lodging tax and half-cent sales tax should apply to the rentals, Cervantes said, as should the state sales tax. 2 of 3 7/7/2016 9:26 AT