Category Archives: local government trend

2 Ways Bill Strengthens Property Rights. Actual Progress Higher Standards.

HB 1253 and SB 554 (TX | 2019)  will:

  • Requires a condemning entity to fulfill 3 of 5 actions to avoid repurchase by the landowner
    • Current standard is 2 of 7
  • Eliminating purchase of adjacent property as indicative of actual progress

Navasota Examiner | Leman files bill to enhance private landowner rights 

Lege TREND. Anatomy of a Statewide Short Term Rental Bill.

State: Massachusetts

The bill: H4841 (MA | 2018)

What does this statewide short term rental bill do?

  • register with the state
  • minimum of $1 million in insurance
  • 5% tax to the state
  • Cities can impose an additional 6% tax
  • Creates state affordable housing fund
    • funded by 3%  tax on property owners with 2+ short-term rentals in the same city
  •  Exempts properties rented for fewer than 14 days/year

Governing | As Airbnb Battles Cities Trying to Regulate It, One State Joins the Fight 

LOCAL Trend. 4 years. 75% reduction in vacant buildings. 3 Steps.

In under 4 years, St. Petersburg Florida reduced the number of vacant homes by 75%.

How did St. Petersburg achieve this?  

  • Used courts to foreclose properties for unpaid taxes
  • Targets proeprties owned by absentee landlords
  • Then the city sells the property to:
    • nonprofit affordable housing developers for $4,000 or
    • sells the foreclosed properties at auction

Governing | To Fight Blight, One City Turned to Courts

Private Property Rights. Coastal Barrier Protection, Rep. Elect Mayes Middleton.

The private property rights issues related to the Coastal Barrier System:

  • Mayes Middleton opposes the displacement of any homes or businesses on Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula
  • the original intent of the project should be respected (which does not involve displacing businesses or homes) by returnign to the dune-line protection plan

Houston Chronicle | State Rep.-elect Mayes Middleton eager to prove his conservative bona fides

Legal TREND. Short Term Rental Lawsuit over number of Occupants as Anti-Christmas.

Where: South Lake Tahoe, CA

The lawsuit basis: ” infringes on the constitutional rights of property owners by arbitrarily restricting the number of individuals who can occupy a vacation unit”

The kicker: intereferes with people’s holiday plans

The local rules on short term rentals in South Lake Tahoe? 2 persons per bedroom & bans short term rental sin residential neighborhoods

AP | Legal fight arises over South Lake Tahoe rental home rules

 

Lege TREND. Anatomy of A short term rental deal in a State Legislature.

Massachusetts legislators have reached a deal on statewide short term rental bill that will:

  • exempt proprietors who file an affidavidt that they will not rent the short term rental for more than 14 days in a calendar year
  • does not apply the  5.7% hotel and motel room tax to these 14 day or less per year  rentals

AP | Massachusetts lawmakers reach deal on short-term rental bill

Commonwealth | Lawmakers reach short-term rental agreement 

Eminent Case Du Jour for Private Property Rights Think Tanks

The eminent domain case that will be repeated in legislative sessions:

  • GM shuts down factor built on land taken by eminent domain in 1981
  • 4000 people were displaced during the process

Reason | GM Will Shut Down Factory Built on Land Seized in Controversial 1981 Poletown Taking 

+1 Local Government. No Eminent Domain for Private Gain. From the North.

Columbia County, Wisconsin Baord of Supervisors voted to support he following statewide eminent domain reform:

  • prohibit private companies from using eminent domain to take property
  • public good should not include economic growth
  • ensure that landowners can negotiate for a fair price.

Are other Wisconsin counties doing the same thing? Yes, at least 6

Portage Daily Register | Columbia County Board favors eminent domain reform

Sawyer County Record | Rusk County passes resolution calling for…