NATCHEZ, Miss. — City aldermen have again put off a decision on the proposed ordinance regulating rental vacation homes in Natchez after they exchanged testy words Tuesday about parliamentary procedures.
In voting to postpone a decision on the controversial proposition, aldermen said they’ll take a final vote later this month after giving those interested more time to review the recommended requirements. The measures are aimed at ensuring the guest houses are properly maintained and not imposing on residential neighborhoods.
“It’s obvious that we’ve got too many parties that are not comfortable with it now and don’t want to vote on it now,” said Alderman Curtis Moroney.
While he expressed support for adopting the ordinance Tuesday, Moroney said more time should be given for guest house owners and others to further analyze the drafted regulations and give aldermen feedback before they vote Aug. 22.
“Let’s try to put this to bed in two weeks,” he said of the proposed ordinance that’s been the subject of much public scrutiny and concerns in recent months.
While Moroney and Alderman Valencia Hall motioned to adopt the short-term rental mandates Tuesday, aldermen Billie Joe Frazier, Felicia Irving and Ben Davis balked. Irving stressed more public input is needed.
Mayor Dan Gibson and Alderman Sarah Carter Smith recused themselves and stepped out of the meeting, as directed by ethical standards, because they own guest houses subject to the regulations.
The ordinance’s pros and cons weren’t aired out much Tuesday, but sharp words were tossed about as aldermen and board attorney Bryan Callaway argued on whether they could even vote on the ordinance.
Frazier, Irving and Davis maintained Moroney waited too long to second Hall’s motion to adopt it, as prescribed by parliamentary rules, and no vote could be taken. However, Callaway said Moroney’s pause was not flagrant. After several minutes of arguments over rules of order, aldermen agreed to table the motion and vote on the ordinance in two weeks.
The Board of Aldermen held a public hearing about the measures in June and delayed a decision in July so they could be revised and further reviewed by tourism leaders and owners of the short-term rental houses, such as those offered through Airbnb and Vrbo.
Houses and downtown buildings that offer accommodations to vacationers and other short-term renters for less than a month would be subject to the regulations. They include requirements for getting city licenses, paying fees, being inspected, limiting the number of occupants and a ban on party events.
Recent revisions include allowing the guest houses to be concentrated closer together in city neighborhoods than earlier proposed and setting what fire-suppression measures would be required.
The ordinance has been drafted with aims of enabling guest house owners to operate their businesses safely and in good order without excessive regulations while also preserving the integrity of the residential areas they’re in and ensuring they’re not a nuisance to neighbors.
City officials have also been trying to develop measures to ensure Natchez gets the special lodging taxes imposed on people who stay in hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast inns and guest houses.
As defined by the city, a guest house is rented in full for short-term stays. It differs from a bed-and-breakfast inn, where lodgers stay with residential owners or managers.
There are at least 20 guest houses that have been licensed by the city to operate — a list that’s grown much in recent months, said city planner Frankie Legaux.
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