City of Dallas forms another task force to regulate short-term rentals

DALLAS - The city of Dallas is once again forming a task force to discuss how to best regulate short-term rentals operating in the city. This will be the city's third task force in two years.

The co-chair of the task force says he wants the city's attorney to clearly spell out what the city can and cannot do when it comes to regulating short-term rentals on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. 

Norma Minnis has lived in East Dallas for more than 40 years, but she and her neighbors feel their quality of life is in danger.

"With the parking, trash and especially when the buses come and drop people off," she said.

Minnis served on the city's first short-term rental task force, but she says the interests of neighborhoods were not well represented. 

"There were only two of us out of six that did not earn a living or a profit off STRs," she said.

Minnis hopes this time will be different. 

"We've been fighting this for two and a half years. I welcome this task force because I hope it will put an end to STRs."

But Councilman Chad West, co-chair of the task force with Councilman Adam Bazaldua, sees it differently.

"We have to find that happy medium between protecting our neighborhoods and also allowing this industry to exist," he said.

It’s an industry that provides a tax revenue stream to the city.

The Dallas Short Term Rental Alliance said in a statement they are "eager to build on previous policy recommendations that in our view, were reasonable attempts to craft common-sense rules that protect property rights, support the local tourism economy, and address community concerns." 

West says at a minimum the city needs to collect the same occupancy taxes from short-term rentals that hotels are required to pay. 

"Having been a short-term rental operator myself for seven years, we had one complaint," he said. "I know you can be an operator in a way that is a benefit to the neighborhood and not a detriment. Unfortunately, there are a few bad operators in the city and they have really caused havoc for everyone."

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