Dear Editor,
Over the last several years Putnam, Morgan, and Greene Counties have seen an alarming increase in homes being utilized as short-term rentals (STRs) in residential neighborhoods. With this came, in far too many cases, loud parties well into the night, cars parked so as to block streets, gangs renting houses and selling tickets to attend parties, renters trespassing on neighbors’ yards and docks, and dogs running unleashed.
Many of these homes were being advertised and rented as event locations resulting in 50 or more people descending upon what were once quiet neighborhoods. Morgan and Greene Counties acted quickly to severely restrict, control, and limit the number of such rentals. This left Putnam County remaining the only lake community issuing licenses to individuals and corporations to operate STRs on Lake Oconee in residential neighborhoods without any regard to zoning restrictions.
You can imagine what happened. We have been overwhelmed with this commercial activity which has negatively impacted the safety and peace of our communities. To make matters worse, the county commissioners have not provided the recourses to control this activity.
In response to citizen complaints earlier this year, the Board of Commissioners (BOC) placed a moratorium on the acceptance of new license applications until this matter could be studied with the view of passing an ordinance to restrict and control STRs. So far, two public hearings and several BOC work sessions have been held to prepare a draft ordinance.
At the last work session, a draft was presented that had the approval of all four commissioners on all major points. All of this was done in full view of the public, which was invited to attend all meetings. Georgia has an “Open Meetings Law” the purpose of which is to ensure the public’s business is conducted in public.
The bulk of STRs and the problems they create exist in the Third District. Several days ago, while Third District Commissioner Alan Foster was out of town, BOC Chairman Bill Sharp, the county attorney, and the three other commissioners collaborated, out of public view, to gut the ordinance of its most important language. Alan Foster was not called so that he could participate in this discussion and have the opportunity to defend the Third District.
The changes they approved in this “backroom” deal allow the number of STRs to increase instead of decrease and fail to protect our residential neighborhoods from this destructive commercial activity.
My written request for an explanation has been ignored by two of the commissioners and the third says “It’s complicated.” My best guess is that it’s all about the money. In 2022 the county collected $805,034 in hotel taxes from STRs. That’s right; the county readily admits these STRs are hotels operating in residential zones that forbid such. Of the $805,034, 60 percent, or $483,020, was given to the Chamber of Commerce to promote tourism, including STRs.
Absent an explanation to the contrary, one might conclude that we have three commissioners whose districts do not suffer from STRs, with the BOC chairman’s compliance, voting in secret to continue this destructive activity in the Third District to fund the Chamber of Commerce.
Please reach out to these commissioners and ask them to reverse this decision and put the safety of our neighborhoods ahead of the Chamber of Commerce. Ask them to approve the STR ordinance as drafted in the last public work session.
Rick Brantley, Putnam County