Kenosha---A proposal to license residents who use online home sharing services like airbnb is going back to the drawing board.
Ald. Jan Michalski first proposed a $50 annual fee and a series of operational requirements for owners who use the service because of complaints he's received from neighbors who live near homes that are being rented out.
At a meeting of the city council's License and Permit Committe Monday night, Michalski acknowledged that he and other aldermen have received emails from owners who are upset with the licensing idea. "On the other hand," Michalski said, "I've also had a number of people who think that they should be banned from the city entirely. The situation is we've got to come to some sort of reasonable compromise."
At a public hearing during the debate, several people spoke on both sides of the issue.
Steven Lee said he was kept awake one night by noisy musicians who had rented a nearby home. "It (home sharing) needs to be somehow regulated so that people like myself when we are disturbed at 12 or 3 in the morning have some recourse," he said.
The proposed ordinance would require owners to submit to the city contact information.
Another provision that would force home sharing services themselves to submit local user information drew the ire of Alison Smith. "We're just a small town," she said. "They're not going to do that." Smith wondered out loud whether local home owners would be liable for any lapses on the part of the home-sharing platforms.
Other provisions that were criticized included regulations on parking and an exemption for anyone with a real estate license.
Michalski said he was willing to discuss compromises.
License and Permit and a second council committee both voted Monday night to defer action on the proposed ordinance.
-0-