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   WALKER —    Board Chair Rick Haaland opened the public hearing to consider a Short-Term Rental Ordinance during the regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Environmental Director Jeff Woodford  explained changes proposed by the Planning Commission in the latest revision. Woodford stated the goal with the ordinance is to make it short and concise, therefore the Planning Commission removed wording to condense the previously eight-page ordinance to four pages. The purpose of this ordinance is to allow the continuation of short-term rental units while mitigating possible adverse impacts to the health, safety, welfare and quality of life of surrounding properties as well as water and environmental quality. The ordinance presented at the hearing stated all unincorporated areas of Cass County zoned Shoreland Residential, Water Oriented Commercial, Commercial, Rural Residential-1, Rural Residential-2.5, Rural Residential-5 and incorporated areas by agreement will be required to apply for an annual license.   

   Some of the general requirements within the ordinance are the unit must be connected to an approved subsurface sewage treatment system (SSTS) and compliant; occupancy shall be limited to the size of the SSTS or the number of bedrooms (whichever is more restrictive); information relating to Aquatic Invasive Species must be provided either in the listing or displayed in the unit; contact information of the owner/owner’s authorized agent shall be kept on file with the County, and available to the public, and the owner/owner’s authorized agent shall respond within one hour of being notified of any issue or complaint.

   The board saw a couple of citizens provide feedback during the public hearing. One citizen expressed concern regarding the ordinance and stated he bought his property for the specific use of short-term rental and has developed it accordingly. It was stated during the period he has owned the property, taxes have risen approximately 900% and he requested the board not approve the ordinance as to alleviate an annual licensing fee. County Planner Scott Wold was also in attendance and informed the citizen if his property was not included in one of the affected zones the ordinance would not apply to him. Wold invited the citizen to discuss the location of his property and look at the zoning maps after the meeting to see if he would be affected. 

   Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk motioned to approve the 4th reading of the Short-Term Rental Ordinance 2024-04 as amended by removing Rural Residential 2.5 and Rural Residential 5 from Section1, Subdivision B. Jurisdiction, and adding the word “notice” after “A brief informational” in Section 5, Subdivision D. Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS), and updating the County Fee Schedule instead of adding related fees to Ordinance 2024-04, which proposes to enact Ordinance 2024-04 regulating Short Term Rentals in Cass County and establish a public hearing during the Regular January 21, 2025, County Board Meeting, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Land Department Building in Backus for the 5th and final adoption. Commissioner Bob Kangas seconded the motion, with the motion passing on a four to one vote with Commissioner Rusty Lilyquist against the motion.

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