The proposal is on the council's agenda for its Monday night meeting.
Short-term rental owners would have to register their property with the city and pay a $300 application fee if the ordinance passes. The proposed ordinance would also require short-term rental owners to conduct yearly self-inspections and display their registration number with a designated contact for emergencies at the property’s front entrance.
Violators of the ordinance could face fines up to $2,000 and have their registration revoked.
Bill France is the leader of the Plano chapter of the Texas Neighborhood Coalition, an organization that has advocated against short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods. He said anything less than a full ban on short-term rentals isn’t strong enough.
“Criminals tend to not follow the laws to begin with,” France said. “So, I doubt a poster on the inside of a short-term rental is going to prevent somebody from having a gambling party, or a prostitution ring or dealing drugs, which all three of those things have happened in Plano and continue to happen.”
France and more than 20 other members of the coalition spoke out against short-term rentals Plano at a city council meeting last month. The city council spoke with attorneys during the meeting about its options for regulating short-term rentals.
The issue was put on the agenda after Dallas and Plano police arrested people involved in a sex-trafficking ring at a short-term rental on Las Palmas Lane in September.
John Muns, the mayor of Plano, said homeowners should be protected from nuisances caused by short-term rentals, but he said the issue is complicated.
“I don't think there's a black and white issue,” he said.” There’s a lot of gray area here, and we have to really be careful not to infringe on property rights.”
He also said there’s legal precedent that prevents the city from outright banning short-term rentals. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has supported short-term rental owners in past legal fights. He argued in a 2018 amicus brief that an Austin short-term rental ordinance violated the property owners’ constitutional rights.
The Plano City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Plano Municipal Center. The meeting will also be streamed on the city council website and Facebook page. People interested in giving a public comment at the meeting can register online until 4 p.m. Monday.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For Americacorps member for KERA News.
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