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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,March 4,2024 <br /> Page 5 <br /> Councilmember Schroeder asked on the background check, what is it the City is <br /> actually looking at. <br /> City Attorney Tierney explained it is a criminal background check, not any other <br /> type of credit check is done. <br /> Councilmember Groff indicated he is concerned about the extended stay portion of <br /> this, and he wondered why this would be made a requirement. <br /> Mr. Trudgeon explained the City did put this in the ordinance to make sure that if <br /> someone was going to be an extended stay, which is more than 29 days, that there <br /> are certain facilities as a part of that room, which would be more expected for <br /> someone staying for a longer period of time. Some business models and hotels <br /> have the extended stay where there are multiple rooms with a full kitchen but that <br /> is not always the case. If there is a restaurant or a dining area in the place, the City <br /> may indicate that a kitchen is not needed but what the City wants to get away from <br /> is people renting hotel rooms out and having people stay there for months,not really <br /> understanding what is happening in those places, whether it is having contents in <br /> the room or cooking, that should not be done. That is the intent and he understood <br /> where Councilmember Groff was coming from. He thought there were two sides <br /> to this. This ordinance is not saying the motel/hotel cannot have an extended stay, <br /> but the City needs to be notified that the business is proposing this in order for the <br /> City to review it. <br /> Councilmember Groff indicated one of the things he does not want to see is the City <br /> increasing its homelessness problem by putting undue burden on a person.He noted <br /> some people do not have the first and last months rent and do stay in a hotel as <br /> housing and it can continue longer than thought because the person is not in the <br /> financial position to get into a rental. He would hate to see the City putting people <br /> out on the street. He thought the City needed to think about and address that because <br /> that is not where he would want to head with this ordinance. <br /> Councilmember Groff indicated another concern he had is if the City revokes a <br /> license and the business has two weeks' notice,it could create a problem for people <br /> that have already booked in those hotels. <br /> Councilmember Strahan was hopeful that most of the City's hotels do not want to <br /> be in the position of having their license revoked or even the possibility of it. She <br /> appreciates and was hopeful that the City is calling the businesses to a higher <br /> standard, noting the goal is not to shut them down but to require and tell them to <br /> bring their facilities to a higher standard, so it is not necessary to suspend their <br /> license. <br /> Mayor Roe wondered when the City would begin to issue licenses after the passage <br /> of the ordinance. He also suggested the licensing might begin July 1st and end June <br /> 30th because there are a lot of other City licenses due between January Pt and <br />