Ward 7 Councilman John Mariol said Airbnb would be willing to collect the city’s lodging tax at the point of transaction with the Airbnb renter and then write a check to the city. He learned this when he and another council member had a phone meeting with the government affairs people at Airbnb. Mariol said this would spare the city’s Income Tax department from the task of collecting this lodging tax.
For this to happen, City Council would have to reject a Planning Commission recommendation to ban Airbnb and other online lodging rentals in neighborhoods with single-family homes. Council has given itself until early June to come up with a decision about Airbnb-type rentals.
Canton residents who open their homes to Airbnb lodgers came to City Council Monday night and told their stories about how Airbnb income has helped them improve their properties, how they have helped temporary lodgers find local restaurants and other places to spend their money in the city, and how they have met interesting people from around the country by opening their homes to travelers.
It also became apparent that the residents of the Market Heights neighborhood, where the move to ban Airbnb originated, are opposed to unoccupied houses being used for Airbnb. There appears to be tolerance for the rental of rooms by resident homeowners, so look for that to be a possible compromise that emerges in June.
As a member of the Planning Commission that first recommended the Airbnb ban to City Council two months ago, I wish we had known more about the positive experiences of owner-occupants who participate in Airbnb. A lesson learned.
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