Councilmembers used the April 24 workshop to press city staff for faster action on enforcement of ordinances tied to short‑term rentals (STRs), parking and related neighborhood impacts. Several councilmembers emphasized frequent public complaints about loud parties, illegal bonfires, repeat offenders and the perception that enforcement response is slow or inconsistent.

Council members and staff discussed several practical changes to improve enforcement and make complaint workflows more efficient: (1) transfer STR complaint intake and the park‑board call center functionality to the city so calls are routed directly to the city’s enforcement teams; (2) flex marshal staffing (add weekend or evening marshal shifts) during peak months to increase proactive patrols and faster response to STR complaints; (3) consider an escalation framework for repeated violations (including escalating fines, administrative penalties and potential temporary license suspension for repeat STR offenders); and (4) revise the pay‑by‑phone parking system to allow shorter payment increments and to explore resident‑focused options such as monthly credits or targeted allowances.

Council members also discussed practical enforcement tools: booting/ immobilization devices ("barnacles"), towing, and partnerships with collection vendors for unpaid fines. Staff noted legal and procurement considerations for changes to parking enforcement technology and for booting/towing programs; they also flagged operational limits tied to staffing and to hours when Galveston Police Department or fire resources have higher priorities.

Several councilmembers asked staff to return quickly with a concrete operational plan that could be implemented this summer, including a cost estimate to add marshal shifts and a timeline for migrating park‑board complaint intake into city systems. Council indicated the STR policy group should continue to work on licensing and policy questions but wanted immediate, tangible improvements to enforcement capacity and complaint response.