Unanimous Monona City Council vote tightens short-term rental regulations 

According to the Herald-Independent and McFarland Thistle, the Monona City Council passed changes to the city’s rules governing short-term rentals last week that establish a $750 permit fee for rental properties and make regulations more enforceable.

The alders’ vote to amend the short-term rental ordinance — passed in February in an attempt to curb the growth of Airbnb, VRBO, and similar services in Monona — was unanimous. It followed residents’ expression of concerns about community safety and quality of life in addition to effects on the local housing market.

The amended rules specify that anyone wishing to post a home or part of a home as a short-term rental must apply for a city permit, a requirement that had previously applied only to properties rented for over 14 days per year.

Additional changes are aimed at discouraging home purchases for the sole purpose of renting — so-called “investor properties” — and assign tighter regulations to properties that are not the owner’s primary residence.

The council also rescinded part of the ordinance that prohibited renters from renting to more than one group or individual per week as the provision conflicted with state statute.