CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City of Corpus Christi is once again trying to decide how to handle short term rentals that are currently not legal in Corpus Christi.
During Tuesday's City Council meeting, the conclusions of a task force were presented to outline the pro's and con's of such rentals with public comment evenly split.
City Council considered drafting an ordinance in the fall but decided to wait because they believed the state legislature was about to deal with the issue, but that didn't happen.
"These are people that have no attachment to the facility, the neighborhood, no vested interest. These are transients. These places become de facto hotels," Doreen Kinkle said.
"A few bad apples on renting something like that doesn't reflect on all of us," Bryan Moore said.
"We support the collection of hotel occupancy taxes and look forward to working with you and other stakeholders on this important issue," Trey Bates said.
Members of the public gave their opinions on whether or not short term rentals can be a positive aspect of a community impacted by millions of tourists.
During the presentation, staff showed the city that they have missed out on a million dollars on hotel occupancy taxes that should have been paid by short term rentals. The same chart also showed the number of Airbnb has nearly doubled in the city in the last two years.
While representatives of the short term rental task force reviewed the shortcomings and potential advantages of short term rentals, City Council has decided on a future ordinance outlining rules and regulations for Airbnb.
"Protection of the neighborhood's integrity to me is extremely important," Mayor Joe McComb said.
According to the City Council, they would seek public input before bringing an ordinance for council approval.