2 ordinances regulating short-term rentals in Irondale fail, to be reviewed at next council meeting

By Crystal McGough, Associate Editor

IRONDALE – Two ordinances affecting short-term rental properties in the City of Irondale failed to gain unanimous consent from City Council on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

The ordinance originally listed under “New Business” sought to ban all short-term rental properties (rental contracts with a lease of less than 30 days) in the city.

During the council deliberation portion of the meeting, Councilor Aaron Sims said he would like to present an alternative option.

“I would like to propose that we take our existing ordinance and create short-term rental ordinance 2.0 and improve on what we have, verses outright banning them,” Sims said. “Listening to people over the past few months – I think it’s been maybe six months since we passed the original ordinance, maybe more or less – a lot of the issues seem to be people not following the ordinance; break the rules. So, I would like to make the consequences of breaking the rules harder. People who have a license and have done things the way they are supposed to, I don’t think we should punish them. So I’m suggesting we raise the fees…make sure we enforce the rules.

Sims recommended “biting our teeth” into the existing ordinance by making fines so high it would not be profitable for property owners to violate city policies. Additionally, if owners receive two complaints within six months, Sims recommends that the city revoke their license.

“If you just ban them, people who break the rules will continue to break the rules,” he said. “I just don’t want to punish people who followed the laws we created.”

Councilor Cindy Cuellar said she had received many complaints from residents about the matter and believed a complete ban on short-term rentals was the right solution.

“Our residents are fed up,” she said. “We are not removing rentals; we remove short term rentals.

Cuellar said the proposed order would still allow leases with terms of 30 days or more.

Councilor Robert Box said that while he agreed with Cuellar, he also liked some of Sim’s points.

“I just think these are issues waiting to happen,” he said. “I hate to keep kicking the box on the road…I’m going to move with the body.”

During public comments, Lisa Cranford addressed the council regarding her own short-term rental property.

“I follow all the rules,” Cranford said. “I’ve never had any problems with anyone. … I’m a full-time teacher and this is my retirement plan.

A search for Irondale, Alabama on Airbnb.com returns over 1,000 listings. Cranford said most customers looking for short-term rentals in the Irondale area are people looking for a place to stay overnight, while on their way to another destination, and want to an alternative option to staying in a hotel.

“We’re in this perfect place to travel,” she said. “They’re just traveling through…and they’re experiencing Irondale.”

Mia Jeffreys, another short-term rental owner who has attended numerous council meetings where this topic has been discussed, also reiterated to the council her feelings about the potential ban.

“I just want to say thank you, Aaron (Sims), for your feedback,” she said. “These are my property rights; these are everyone’s property rights. I am here to warn you that these laws violate recognized property rights. Ordinances regulating short-term rentals are unconstitutional.

Two other citizens spoke out in favor of banning short-term rentals, with one saying 200 Irondale residents had signed a petition, and another saying his property had come under fire following short-term rental from a neighbour.

When it came time to vote, Sims offered his updated version of the original order as Order 2022-25. When Sims proposed suspending any rules that would prevent the order from being reviewed, Cuellar, Box and Board Chairman David Spivey voted “no.”

After deliberation, Cuellar proposed Order 2022-26, which would ban all short-term rentals, only allowing leases with a minimum 30-day lease. When Cuellar introduced a motion to suspend all rules that would prevent review of this order, she, Box, and Spivey voted “yes”, while Sims voted “no”.

Since the two ordinances did not obtain unanimous consent, they will be considered as first readings and sent back for consideration at the next meeting.

In other matters, the board approved the following:

• Resolution 2022-R-185, approving the 2023 vacation schedule for City employees
• Resolution 2022-R-186, increasing the city’s share of the local government health insurance premium for City of Irondale employees to 7% from the amount currently paid
• Resolution 2022-R-187, authorizing the allocation of public funds to AT&T Alabama Pioneers in the amount of $1,000 from Advisor John London’s fiscal year 22-23 discretionary fund to be used for the KIDSPARK 10^e Anniversary
• Resolution 2022-R-188, authorizing Mayor James D. Stewart Jr to sign an agreement for the purchase of a property located at 1080 Grants Mill Road at the price of 1 million dollars for the construction of a new location for the irondale public library
• Resolution 2022-R-189, amending Res. 2022-R-167 modifying the purchase price of two Ford Transit vans for the Seniors’ Activity Center from an amount not exceeding $57,505/van to an amount not exceeding $59,675/van
• Resolution 2022-R-190, declaring weeds and other vegetation a nuisance to the property located at 775 Abigale Lane and ordering their removal
• Order 2022-24, amending Order 2007-47 to change the licensing fee to $14 effective January 1, 2023

The next Irondale City Council meeting will be Tuesday, October 18, 2022, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Irondale City Hall.