HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-11-23 Public Comment - M. Chase - Expedia Group Public Comment on Ordinance 2131 Second ReadingFrom:Mackenzie Chase (ELCA)
To:Agenda
Subject:Expedia Group Public Comment on Ordinance 2131 Second Reading
Date:Monday, July 10, 2023 9:09:19 PM
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Expedia Group - Comments Bozeman Ordinance 2131 7.10.23.pdf
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Dear Mayor Andrus and Bozeman City Commissioners,
On behalf of Expedia Group, a family of brands that includes Expedia.com, Hotels.com, and short-
term rental leader Vrbo, I would like to thank you for the amendments to proposed Ordinance 2131,
revising Bozeman’s short-term rental code to include the regulation of hosting platforms, that you
approved last month.
As we noted previously, we are eager to be an active partner as Bozeman works to increase
compliance with existing short-term rental regulations, and we appreciate the amendments and
technical changes incorporated in the latest draft. These amendments strengthen the legislation and
will better enable us to successfully partner with the city.
While we appreciate the changes reflected in the latest draft of the legislation, published for the City
Commission’s July 11 meeting, we again suggest pushing the legislation’s effective date to 90 days
after passage to allow us sufficient time to partner with Bozeman. To comply with this proposed
legislation, we would implement a mandatory field for Vrbo owners and operators to include the
short-term rental permit number provided by the City of Bozeman. We would design and launch a
new feature on the website based on the city’s permit number format (i.e., the number and format
of alphanumeric digits) and thoroughly communicate the new mandatory field requirement to Vrbo
owners and operators.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments and for thoughtfully working to address our
concerns.
Thank you,
Mackenzie Chase
Government Affairs Manager, Montana
Mackenzie Chase
Regional Government Affairs ManagerExpedia GroupM: (206) 437-71671111 Expedia Group Way WestSeattle, WA 98119
machase@expediagroup.com