Kenosha---A city council committee is expected to continue discussions Monday night on a proposed ordinance that would make it harder for property owners in Kenosha to rent out their homes with the help of online home sharing services like Airbnb.
The proposal would require users to pay $50 annually for a license, and comply with a set of regulations that include having on file the name and phone number of a contact who’d be available around the clock.
In addition, the owner would be responsible for any nuisance violations.
Also, the home sharing service itself would be required to submit a monthly report of user activity within the city.
The genesis of the proposal is complaints that the author of the ordinance, Ald. Jan Michalski, said he's received from constituents.
The original proposal has been revised since the initial discussion by License and Permit Committee members to exclude real estate agents from the requirements. Also exempt would be homeowners who reside on their properties while still making space available for tenants.
Also Monday night, a proposed settlement between Kenosha and the contractor that rebuilt the city’s velodrome goes before a city council committee. Details haven’t been made public, and the agenda for the Parks Commission meeting indicates that the discussion could be held behind closed doors.
The reconstruction project was to have been finished at the start of summer. But the track never opened after some cracks in the cement surface were discovered, and some unexpected settling led to gaps underneath the track.
Any settlement proposal would eventually have to be approved by the full council in open session.
Monday's Parks Commission meeting begins at 5 while License and Permit meets at 4:30.
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