City staff briefed the committee on how Columbus currently permits and taxes short‑term rentals and what other cities do for neighbor notification.

Tony Celebrizi, Deputy Director of the Department of Building and Zoning Services, said initial STR legislation was adopted in 2018 and amended in 2021 to tighten accountability. "We restricted who can apply for this to the property owner or a permanent occupant," Celebrizi said, and the city requires background checks for applicants and managing members and a 24‑hour local contact for response.

Celebrizi provided licensing numbers and fees: "We are right now at 1,535" STR licenses; there is a $20 application fee; if approved, an owner‑occupied license costs $75 per year and a vacant unit rented entirely as a STR is $150 per year. He said licenses can be suspended or revoked for a felony within the past seven years and for properties with excessive calls for service (three or more in a 12‑month period).

Kevin McCain, senior policy adviser in the legislative research office, summarized notification models Cleveland‑area and other U.S. cities use: some require hosts to notify adjacent and across‑the‑street properties (by first‑class or hand delivery), Sedona and Scottsdale require certified mail or hand delivery in some cases, Austin charges a $50 notification fee and the city notifies neighbors on behalf of the host, and Portland ties outreach to a two‑year renewal cycle. McCain emphasized verification methods (signature, certified mail) and response‑time mandates in other jurisdictions (Toledo 45 minutes; Summit County one hour) as design choices the committee may consider.

Rashida Hansard, director of income tax for the Auditor's Office, explained tax mechanics: Columbus charges a 5.1% lodging excise tax on STR stays collected by the host and remitted monthly (returns due the 20th of the following month). "About 98% of short term rental taxes are paid and collected online through our online tax platform, Krisp," Hansard said. She reported roughly 1,600 STR tax accounts in the system, about 1,200 of which are active, and laid out the distribution of the 5.1%: 2.39% to the Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1.68% to Cultural Services and Community Enrichment, 1.60% to the Emergency Human Services Fund, and 0.43% to the affordable housing trust.

Council and public discussion raised several operational questions: whether platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) could be required to verify licenses and collect/remit taxes on the platform's behalf, how to handle high‑density neighborhoods where notification by letter would be burdensome, occupancy limits tied to bedroom counts, and whether multifamily buildings with many licensed units should be treated differently (potentially as hotels) for safety and zoning compliance.

No legislative proposals or draft ordinance text were introduced at the hearing; staff described options and sought community input for future work.