County Commissioner Gene-o Shipley is asking the commission to vote next Wednesday to end Short Term Vacation Rentals (STVRs) in residential areas in the unincorporated county.
He said, "Neighborhoods are built for neighbors to live in and for their kids to play. It's not for getting new neighbors every 3-5 days."
He said a recent issue on Stonington Drive in Hixson brought the issue to a head. He asked a member of the audience to speak.
Jo Peckinpaugh said on April 4 that six vehicles occupied by single men and with vehicle tags from various locations showed up at a rental. She said one tag was from Mexico from a state, she said, is a headquarters for Mexican drug cartels.
She said a number of vehicles came to the residence and appeared to leave carrying items. She said as many as 10 people showed up and they made noise through the night and some parked on the street.
Commissioner Joe Graham, a staunch STVR advocate, said he checked out the situation and said the men were in town for a car show that brought several thousand people to a Chattanooga event.
He said the items coming and going from the house were Door Dash food deliveries.
The house has a Florida owner, he said, but he said the owner's son is here.
Commissioner Shipley said the city of Chattanooga "took care of this problem" by restricting new STVRs to commercial areas - except for "home stays" where the owner is living there.
He said, "Across the United States, cities are doing away with these (non-owner occupied in residential sections)."
Commissioner Graham said STVRs had drastically improved his neighborhood in Lookout Valley, converting former "drug houses" into much-improved, well-kept rentals.
He said the county had set up tight rules for the STVR operations and developed a permitting and monitoring system that would all be lost with approval of the Shipley resolution.
Nathan Janeway, director of development services, said the county has used the Granicus software system to ferret out 70 illegal STVR operators. He said there are now 63 permitted operators with 25 more in process.
He said the county had collected almost $40,000 in permit fees thus far. The permits cost about $700 per year.
Commissioners Ken Smith, Steve Highlander and Lee Helton were among those saying they support the resolution, while Commissioners David Sharpe and Greg Beck said they had mixed feelings. Commissioner Sharpe was concerned about "throwing out the baby with the bath water."
It was recommended that the resolution go to a committee, but Commissioner Shipley said he was ready for the vote.