1. REGULAR MEETING of the TOURISM COMMISSION BOARD January 10, 2024, at 2:30 pm City Hall Chambers Room 1001 301 W. Second St Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Tourism Commission Board may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Felicia Ojeda, 512.404.4022 or felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Daniel Ronan, Chair Aileen Bazan Mike Cannatti Stefani Mathis John Riedie Bishop Chappell Ed Bailey, Vice Chair Greg Chanon Rachel Magee Anna Panossian Christian Tschoepe AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Tourism Commission Board Regular Meeting on November 8, 2023. 2. 3. 4. DISCUSSION ITEMS Presentation by Stephanie Ashworth with the Texas Neighborhood Coalition regarding neighborhood concerns on short-term rentals (STRs) DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Discussion and possible action regarding 2024 Tourism Commission calendar for conflicting meeting dates due to tourism activities. WORKING GROUPS Discussion from the Short-Term Rental Work Group updates. call FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. at Please felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Tourism Commission Board, please contact Felicia Ojeda at 512.404.4022 or felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov. The next Tourism Commission meeting will be on February 14, 2024. at Austin Convention Center Department, Felicia Ojeda
My name is Luis Bonet and since 2018 my wife and I have operated an Airbnb guest house (ADU) on our property located on District 9, with zipcode 78751. We live on property and have homestead exemption. We are fully compliant of Austin STR ordinance and have paid for permits and hospitality taxes every single time they are due. As a fully compliant STR operator we are very frustrated with City of Austin lack of prioritization and enforcement of the STR ordinance. Back in 2022 I wrote to Mrs. Tovo about this issue and in 2023 to Mr. Qadri with no response. I have reported numerous non-permit operators and sadly they are still operating without much consequence. Multiple articles have been published stating that in Austin only 10% of the STR operators have a permit, which is a pitiful record. It is my speculation that if a non- compliant STR does not bother to get a permit they will also never pay hospitality taxes. This is a huge gap in revenue for the City of Austin and wonder why the Council is not addressing it more forcefully. I also anticipate that the non-compliant operators are your problem child that overcrowd their properties with excessive guests and causes problems with neighbors thereby disrupting the community. Data from AirDNA shows that in 2 years the number of STR lis�ngs in 78751 has grown from 250 to 375 lis�ngs (50% increase). AirDNA also reports that total revenue for STRs in 2023 was about $14M which translates to about $1.5M in taxes most of which is not collected. The COA database shows that over the last 3 years there has been an average of 76 permit holders, which means there are about 300 non- compliant operators in 78751. That’s about 2/3 STR are non-compliant, and the numbers keep growing. City wide the number of STR licensees have hovered around 2,100 effec�vely staying flat. I conclude new STR operators are not seeking a permit. From our view non-compliant operators will continue to operate and violate the ordinance as there are no significant consequences. I have been asking if the ordinance allows for back charging non-compliant operators for permits and taxes not paid. This situation has been going for years and I am amazed that we are still not addressing it in a more aggressive way. In summary, it seems unreasonable for STR licensed property owners …
