Breezy Point City Council shoots down short-term rental moratorium

BREEZY POINT — In its Monday, Feb. 6 meeting, the Breezy Point City Council rejected the notion of setting a one-year moratorium on short-term rentals within the city.

There was no vote on the measure. The motion died due to a lack of a second.

Last month, council member Brad Scott suggested hosting a public forum on the topic. Monday, he said he brought it up simply as a “what if” for the council to consider.

“I'm someone who certainly wrestles with this, as I'm sure quite a number of you do, in the fact that I firmly believe in property owner rights,” Scott said. “Part of the question that I still have … is what does the current ordinance do? I think what all too often happens is that cities have a tendency to pass policy and adopt ordinances, but are not really clear on what we are attempting to do. When I read through the ordinance, it really speaks to not a lot of anything specific.”

Of the six members of the public who spoke during the public hearing and three letters from residents that were read aloud, just one supported the moratorium, coming from a homeowner citing multiple issues experienced in next-door and nearby rental properties.

The council also approved an ordinance that no longer requires rental property owners to test well water for sulfate and mercury, as no laboratories licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health test residential wells for those contaminants.

In other action Monday, the council:

• Agreed to acquire a third dump truck for $262,862, which had been budgeted almost entirely for the current fiscal year.
• Agreed to authorize staff to engage in an agreement for accounting services once an accounting firm is chosen and an agreement has been drafted.
• Agreed to expand the park board from five members to seven, and appointed Gail Arne, Sandra Logelin and Bill Toft to terms on the board ending Dec. 31, 2025.

In January, the Breezy Point Police Department responded to 218 incidents, an increase of 20 from January 2022. Among the incidents were 106 traffic stops, one traffic arrest, one crash, one theft and one fire.
Council member Rebecca Ball was not in attendance Monday.

Dan Determan, sports writer/staff writer, may be reached at 218-855-5879 or dan.determan@pineandlakes.com. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Dan.