In a bid to figure out what role short-term rental properties will play in Juneau’s future, the City and Borough of Juneau is creating a task force to tackle if — and how — those rentals should be regulated.
On April 15, the Juneau Assembly agreed to allow the mayor to begin selecting residents who are interested in joining the task force, which will recommend regulations for the Assembly to consider.
At the meeting, most Assembly members, like Michelle Hale, said they favor future regulations. Hale says she’s concerned about how short-term rentals affect the long-term housing in Juneau.
“We have a lot of houses and apartments that have been converted to short-term rentals, and that means people can’t live in those that actually live and work here,” she said.
Last fall, the Assembly approved a program that requires people to register their short-term rentals with the city. At the time, city leaders said the free program would help ensure operators are paying sales tax and provide data on the growing short-term rental market — data that could eventually shape restrictions on them.
A little over 330 properties have been registered so far, but city officials believe there are still some operators that have not registered. And that’s likely the case. A recent point-in-time study reported nearly 600 active and intermittent short-term rental listings in Juneau.
At the meeting, Assembly member Ella Adkison said introducing regulations now is a way to get ahead of any future growth in the industry. But she said she doesn’t think the city needs to rush to put them in place.
“Even if we decide that we’re not interested in tamping down on this industry and that the numbers aren’t concerning yet, there’s no reason to leave an industry unregulated when we can get ahead of it and make sure that it’s growing in a way that we want to see it grow,” she said.
Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs disagreed. She said she thinks the city is moving far too slowly.
“We’re not ahead of this — it’s too late to get ahead of this,” she said. “So you can throw that out the window.”
Assembly member Wade Bryson said he’s hesitant to regulate short-term rentals. He said that could harm independent travelers who want to come to Juneau.
“While not everyone is in favor of short-term rentals, they do serve a purpose in the community and they do provide economic activity,” he said.
City officials said the task force likely will be created in the next month or so and will start meeting soon after.
