UPDATE - Working Group Meeting Postponed Until After Second Reading of Safety Enhancement Ordinance

Working Group Was Supposed to Be About a Two-Way Partnership

Over the past year, NBSTRA has focused on a simple goal: making sure responsible short-term rental owners and managers have a seat at the table when City policies and enforcement practices affect how our businesses operate. That’s why we were pleased to establish an informal working group with City staff – intended to create a consistent, professional channel where the City and the STR community can engage proactively, share operational realities, and work toward practical improvements over time. The first meeting was designed to be introductory: establish expectations, set the groundwork for future discussions, and build the trust and continuity needed for the group to be effective.

However, in the days leading up to that first meeting, the City has moved forward on the new “Safety Enhancement” ordinance on a fast track – without significant industry input and in a way that violates the spirit of what the working group was intended to accomplish. NBSTRA supports enhanced safety and strong enforcement during high-impact periods, and we support consequences for truly dangerous or chronic offenders. But meaningful partnership has to be a two-way street. When a major ordinance affecting permit holders advances before the working group even meets, it undermines the purpose of convening the group in the first place.

For that reason, NBSTRA is postponing the first working group meeting until after the City Council completes the ordinance’s second-reading hearing. This is not a rejection of partnership – it’s a necessary boundary to ensure the partnership is real and the working group has meaning. After the hearing concludes, we will reschedule and use that first meeting to establish the proper tone of collaboration and clarify how the working group will function going forward. We will keep members informed quickly as dates and next steps are confirmed.

We appreciate those who volunteered to participate with the Working Group and we will circle back in the near future.