Short-Term Rental Guidelines Still Up for Debate in Brainerd

Short term rental guidelines are still up for debate in Brainerd, as the city council voted 4-3 to deny the proposed ordinance last week.

The proposal outlined a restriction of 20 operational rentals in the city, where no individual is allowed to own more than one, barring those grandfathered into preexisting properties. Some council members still view the ordinance as too restrictive, with chairman Jeff Czecok suggesting both proposed restrictions be scrapped completely – only keeping the proposed condition of leaving an end date of Dec. 31 of each year for any permit.

“Outside of the one-year conditional use permit with no ownership limitation … no geographical limitation and no cap, that’s no ordinance at all,” said Brainerd City Council President Kelly Bevans. “We don’t need an ordinance to do nothing. It’s almost impossible to go backwards.”

The Brainerd City Council will assemble once again for a vote on the short-term rental ordinance after the Planning Commission reviews the suggestions from last week’s meeting and composes a revised ordinance.