HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-08-23 Public Comment - K. Neumann - STR ban - NO!From:Karl Neumann
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]STR ban - NO!
Date:Monday, August 7, 2023 4:50:14 PM
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Dear Bozeman City Commission,
I would like to voice my opposition to any additional ordinances pertaining to short term rentals in
the city of Bozeman as I believe we have a good system in place but we need to get better
enforcement and compliance which is starting to happen now.
To add bans on what a person can do with their property without appropriate information or data
supporting the efficacy of such a ban, is nothing more than a trampling of individual property rights,
which we hold in high value in Montana as you know.
I believe the City has done a in-depth study which you received last Tuesday with all or most of the
data showing a ban on STR's would have a negligible effect on affordable housing. STR's just make
up a much too small percentage of rentals in Bozeman.
Until the commission has a quantifiable understanding on whether or not this type of ban can have a
meaningful effect on housing affordability, this ban should not be on the table or up for
consideration. This should include understanding how many units would likely be returned to long-
term rental, and if that will have any notable impact on rental rates across our city.
If further analysis is deemed necessary, the city should also consider the negative impact that this
could have on how many of these short term rental units that are being used by those homeowners
to create housing affordability in Bozeman for themselves by generating extra income.
The commission should also consider the great number of individuals who manage, clean, maintain
and otherwise care for short term rentals, and the loss of wages for them. Often this type of work is
an additional job or supplemental source of income so that they can afford to live in our
community. The commission should not trade one person’s right to work hard and invest
responsibility to be able to afford to live in our community, for another person’s ‘entitlement’ to
receive something from those people.
Additionally, the commission should consider any other unforeseen economic impacts to the
community which I think are much larger than anyone realizes. Things like will our travel nurse
dependent hospitals be able to maintain critical nursing levels, what will the tourism dollar loss be by
pushing tourists outside the city or to other communities, what are the exposures to and costs of
potential litigation.
The stakeholders for short term rentals will present empirical evidence as to why additional laws and
regulations against short term rentals should be a non-starter, but I would like you to know that as a
member of this community, I am not in favor of new short term rental ordinances, or using
Bozeman’s time and resources in pursuing research as to whether or not this is a good idea, when it
should seem clear that it is not.
Thank you.
-- Karl Neumann
Sales Associate
406.539.0030 mobile406.586.7676 office
karl.neumann@bhhsmt.com
www.bhhsmt.com