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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-17-23 Public Comment - M. Chase - Expedia Groups Comments - Ordinance 2149From:Mackenzie Chase (ELCA) To:Agenda; Erin George Subject:[EXTERNAL]Expedia Groups Comments - Ordinance 2149 Date:Friday, October 13, 2023 4:13:21 PM Attachments:image001.png Expedia Group - Comments Bozeman Ordinance 2149 10.13.23.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. October 13, 2023 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 urge you not to pass Ordinance 2149, revising Bozeman’s short-term rental code, including discontinuing and prohibiting Type 3 rentals, this year. I urge you to give time for Ordinance 2131, revising Bozeman’s short-term rental code to include the regulation of hosting platforms, to be fully implemented and studied before making additional changes. Ordinance 2131 marks a significant shift in how Bozeman regulates short-term rentals, and it will take a few months to observe changes to the number and location of short-term rentals throughout the city. In our experience, legislation like Ordinance 2131 can considerably alter the landscape of short-term rentals in a jurisdiction. Passing additional legislation like eliminating Type 3 rentals may be superfluous to achieving Bozeman’s regulatory goals and will make it impossible to know the effects of separate bills. We are eager to be an active partner as Bozeman works to increase compliance with existing short- term rental regulations. Ordinance 2131 requires hosting platforms to launch new technology and compliance measures. Making additional changes could slow the implementation process and confuse hosts who will receive conflicting messages about adding a hosting permit number to their platform listing only to have the permit expire in a few months. We strongly urge you to observe and study the impacts of Ordinance 2131 and then to consider if additional changes are necessary to achieve the desired balance of short-term rentals in Bozeman. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments. Sincerely, Mackenzie Chase Government Affairs Manager, Montana Mackenzie Chase Regional Government Affairs ManagerExpedia GroupM: (206) 437-7167 1111 Expedia Group Way West Seattle, WA 98119 machase@expediagroup.com 1111 Expedia Group Way West | Seattle, WA, 98119 | USA | T +1 206 481 7200| F +1 206 481 7240 expediagroup.com October 13, 2023 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 urge you not to pass Ordinance 2149, revising Bozeman’s short-term rental code, including discontinuing and prohibiting Type 3 rentals, this year. I urge you to give time for Ordinance 2131, revising Bozeman’s short- term rental code to include the regulation of hosting platforms, to be fully implemented and studied before making additional changes. Ordinance 2131 marks a significant shift in how Bozeman regulates short-term rentals, and it will take a few months to observe changes to the number and location of short- term rentals throughout the city. In our experience, legislation like Ordinance 2131 can considerably alter the landscape of short-term rentals in a jurisdiction. Passing additional legislation like eliminating Type 3 rentals may be superfluous to achieving Bozeman’s regulatory goals and will make it impossible to know the effects of separate bills. We are eager to be an active partner as Bozeman works to increase compliance with existing short-term rental regulations. Ordinance 2131 requires hosting platforms to launch new technology and compliance measures. Making additional changes could slow the implementation process and confuse hosts who will receive conflicting messages about adding a hosting permit number to their platform listing only to have the permit expire in a few months. We strongly urge you to observe and study the impacts of Ordinance 2131 and then to consider if additional changes are necessary to achieve the desired balance of short- term rentals in Bozeman. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments. Sincerely, Mackenzie Chase Government Affairs Manager, Montana