‘Trying to get the policy right:’ Clark County hosts short-term rental forum

With the legalization of short-term rentals in Clark County a forthcoming certainty, the conversation has shifted to best-practice regulations.

“We’re trying to get the policy right,” Commissioner Ross Miller said Tuesday evening.

Miller hosted the first of two town halls this week inviting the public to weigh in on how county lawmakers should set rules for the home-sharing venture, made popular on platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO, before a state-mandated deadline of July 1.

If the public meeting inside commission chambers was any indication, “right” is a subjective goal.

Some suggested that lawmakers lift a distance requirement intended to prevent a proliferation of short-term rentals. Others requested that Mount Charleston be carved out of regulations, worried about the potential for fires and how far removed the northwestern mountain community is from police.

Ed Uehling, a regular commenter and frequent government critic at commission meetings, charged that state law that passed last year and mandates the county to regulate short-term rentals was intended to benefit resort hotels, pointing to the 2,500-foot distance separation required between a rental and a hotel.

“It’s a total lie to say it’s for the protection of the community,” he said.

But the law came as a response to the failure of the county’s outright ban on the short-term rental market. There are between 6,000 and 12,000 estimated homes currently operating even though they are not allowed, officials say.

The law also was borne by the notion that regulations could both safeguard neighborhoods and provide a pathway to legalization for homeowners, according to Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen.

Nguyen, the law’s architect, reiterated that the legislation received bipartisan support as she and Miller listened to several people speak during the roughly 90-minute town hall. As a sign of the “robust” turnout, as Miller had described it, at least a handful of attendees were unable to get their comments in before the town hall ended.

The county has invited public comment via email at STRComment@ClarkCountyNV.gov.

Some rules are mandated by the state, such as a prohibition on short-term rentals in apartments and a ban on parties and other large events. Elsewhere, the county has local authority, including in determining the number of licenses to allow and the enforcement policy.

Last week, county lawmakers discussed creating a lottery system and limiting the number of licenses to roughly 2,800.

Another town hall, to be hosted by Commissioner Justin Jones, is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Desert Breeze Community Center, 8275 Spring Mountain Road.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.