Airbnbs concerns arise again at Green Lake board meeting | News

The Town of Green Lake discussed concerns over short-term rentals at their meeting Monday night, with a resident asking the town to shut down a nearby Airbnb.

Green Lake held a Committee of the Whole meeting, followed by the Common Council meeting. James Arrivo, who lives on Forest Avenue, spoke at the committee meeting.

Arrivo started a petition with around 20 signatures to shut down an Airbnb near his home. He said the house is rented out two or three times a weekend and saw between 70 and 90 people in July. He told the committee that Airbnbs should not operate in residential neighborhoods.

“Were concerned. Were scared. We’re old people,” he said. “It’s really ruining this neighborhood.”

Arrivo said Airbnb guests were loud day and night and police were called about the issues. He said Airbnb was negatively impacting property values ​​and that people using short-term rentals should stay in staff-supervised hotels. He asked the committee to shut down Airbnb or change the minimum lease term.

Mayor Ray Radis said the council met with the chief of police and the owners of the Airbnb to discuss the complaints. He said Green Lake has to follow the laws set by the state, which means they have to allow people to have Airbnbs.

“Our city’s hands are tied in so many ways that we can’t do anything to enforce it other than vocalize complaints and we will continue to monitor and enforce it,” he said. “At this point, according to our police chief, there are not enough problems not to give them a permit.”

Radis said Green Lake is working with the City of Brooklyn and Green Lake County to get on the same page with Airbnb rentals. The city has added 13 Airbnbs over the past year, bringing the total to about 40. Of these, 54% are located in the R-1 single-family residential district, 15% are in the commercial district, and 31% are in the recreational area. Business district (RB).

Aldus. Jon McConnell said Airbnbs is a business and businesses should operate in business districts or RBs.

“As you know, I have opposed all short-term rentals in the R-1 residential areas from the beginning, and I continue to oppose them. Tonight is a perfect example of why that is the case,” he said.

The committee discussed the possibility of putting more restrictions on Airbnbs. Under state law, the city may require a three-day minimum stay in short-term rentals or may prohibit stays of six days or less. Enforcement was also discussed, with several council members agreeing that obtaining a signed affidavit would be the best method of enforcing the term requirements.

Radis said people were unhappy with short-term rentals.

“We are not alone in this,” he said. “Every resort in the state of Wisconsin faces this.”

Aldus. Chris Foos will complete the Airbnbs data collection and then schedule another meeting at a later date to discuss possible changes to the order.

In other news:

In other news from Green Lake Council meetings:

• McConnell provided an update on the possibility of allowing pets in parks. He said Public Works has determined that it will have enough funds next year to purchase pet waste bag stations for parks. The city needs about five of them at a cost of $300 each. A volunteer will empty the stations. It is estimated that the bag stations will be installed next spring. The committee discussed whether there will be access to drinking water in the animal parks. McConnell said there will be no water access at the parks, but Public Works Director Jason Carley is working on water supplies for the dog park.

• The council approved the creation of a formal abatement ordinance that would allow the city to address properties with deteriorating conditions. The ordinance would outline actions the city could take to enforce the reduction in homes and businesses.

• The board approved a revised easement agreement with Alliant Energy to build an underground fiber optic communications network, as part of a network across Iowa and Wisconsin. In a letter to Green Lake, Alliant project manager Ed Gilkes wrote that the network would improve customer energy services, reliability and safety of electricity and gas distribution systems. The proposed agreement stated that the city could not construct or place buildings, structures or other improvements. or place any water, sewer or drainage works in the easement area without the written consent of Alliant. The board approved a proposal to remove this requirement from the agreement.

• The board approved the transfer of the city’s health insurance plan to Quartz One Silver. Current insurance renewal premiums increased by 19%. When switching to Quartz, the increase is 9%. The new insurance plan will cost the same for employees but will cost less for the City. The city is self-insuring to reduce employee disbursements. The budget included a 5% increase in health insurance, so the new insurance is close to the amount budgeted.