Inver Grove Heights postponed a vote on an ordinance prohibiting landlords from offering their homes for short-term rentals through websites such as Airbnb and VRBO.
The ordinance proposes to limit short-term home rentals to a minimum lease term of 30 days in an effort to limit disruptive parties at some properties. The ordinance would also add a six-month waiting period to reapply for a rental license with the city after a landlord has been denied a license or revoked one.
Other cities, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, have implemented various restrictions in recent years in an effort to regulate the short-term rental market.
Inver Grove Heights council heard Monday night from several landowners who are renting their properties short-term and don’t want the city to put restrictions in place, City Administrator Kris Wilson said.
The board plans to discuss the issue again later in the fall with the goal of reaching a decision by the end of the year, Wilson said.
Erin Adler
Crystal
Opening of a new police station
After nearly two years of construction, Monday is move-in day for the Crystal Police Department.
Officers and staff will officially occupy the city’s new 23,800 square foot police station, located next to the Rockford Road Public Library at 4141 N. Douglas Drive.
The new station includes a secure, centralized evidence storage area, dedicated K-9 agent space, updated detention space, an expanded locker room, and covered parking. The building also includes many energy savings, the city said.
Crystal spent $16 million on the project, including $12 million from the city’s building fund and other investment funds and $4 million from a state bond bill.
The building replaces the city’s former police station, which opened in 1965 on the same site and was last remodeled in 1993.
Tim Harlow
Ramsey County
County to receive $15.8 million in opioid settlement
Ramsey County will receive $15.8 million from the state’s $300 million Opioid Overdose Prevention Settlement, which is paid for by pharmaceutical companies that produce and distribute opioids.
The county, which will receive the money over 18 years, will use part of the funds to add six full-time positions in its public health department, according to county council action on Tuesday. County staff will also establish a project budget for the funds.
Last December, the board accepted the memorandum of understanding between the state and the Minnesota Opioid Subdivision and agreed to multi-state settlements with pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and the manufacturer of Johnson & Johnson opioids.
The money comes from a sweeping $26 billion national settlement that will go to local governments across the country, an effort to compensate them for years spent battling the ongoing public health crisis.
Of the $300 million Minnesota receives, 75% is allocated to all counties and 33 cities that have signed on to the lawsuit, with the remaining 25% going to the state. Ramsey County’s share is 7% of the total amount allocated to counties and cities in Minnesota.
Shannon Prather
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