El Paso Airbnb hosts speak at city council Wednesday against proposed regulations

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Short-term rental owners show up at City Council chambers by the dozen to voice their concerns about a proposed ordinance regulating properties.

Wednesday, the City of El Paso sought feedback from the community and stakeholders to develop a short-term rental process.

The city is looking to limit the number of short-term rentals located within 500 feet from another, collect hotel occupancy tax per state statute, and set safety and permit requirements.

Rental owners tell ABC-7 this could highly impact their business.

“I would go from having 5 Airbnb’s to 1 Airbnb, so basically taking out 80% of my short-term rental business, so it would affect me drastically,” said Tiffany Menefee, Airbnb owner.

Other owners tell ABC-7, it would increase costs for those looking to rent and decrease the number of properties available.

Some city officials say these regulations were proposed for taxing purposes while others say it will help preserve neighborhoods.

"The other concern I hear from residents is the concern of preservation of neighborhoods,” said Cassandra Hernandez, Rep. District 3 “You have an entire neighborhood that's being commercialized that's problematic.."

Council said it will continue to coordinate community meetings throughout the month of February.

Below are the tentative dates for the additional meetings:

Proposed In-Person Meetings:

Monday, Feb. 6, at 6 pm, Pebble Hills Regional Command Center, 10780 Pebble Hills Blvd.
Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6 pm, Westside Regional Command Center, 4801 Osborne Dr.
Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 pm, Northeast Regional Command Center, 9600 Dyer St.
Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 pm, Mission Valley Regional Command Center, 9011 Escobar Dr.

Proposed Hybrid Meeting:
Monday, Feb. 13, 6pm, City Hall, 300 N. Campbell St.

Virtual Link: Microsoft Teams meeting
Meeting ID: 247 625 936 120
Passcode: hTwJVc

A final recommendation will be given to the City Council by Spring 2023.