HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0675.120 2022-2024 COLIN.TY
COUNTY OF H A
20711 JAN 22 All 9: 48
TESTIMONY AGAINST BILL 121
Eight Years ago I decided to become a hosted vacation rental on my 3 acres of ag unplanned land. Many
years of long-term renting had barley paid taxes and repairs and as a senior citizen with limited assets
the hosted rental is my best option to be able to survive. I have never missed a tax payment and never
had a complaint.The business also employs yard and housekeeping people averaging a little under two
thousand dollars a month. My subdivision is private land, private road and private water system.Any
agriculture here is not really feasible. Water is 10$for 1000 gallons and if your pump well water we pay
the highest electricity costs in the us.
This bill is an over reach of government essentially taking property rights away from citizens. I fail to see
what problem the bill stopping hosted rentals on ag land achieves.Ag lands that have viable farming
often need extra incomes to survive and expand. I will not be entering the long-term rental market. I use
my rental for family and friends for parts of the year.
When the first stvr regulations came out the rules specifically allowed hosted rentals to continue and
that makes sense. Owners living on the property ensures any problems are taken care of and after 6
years I have never had a problem or required any county or state resources.
Bill 121 looks like the authors who are not my representatives stayed up late at night thinking up too
many rules and regulations. Who benefits? Hosted stvr's pay their taxes. Show me a list of big problems
created by mostly people trying to stay on their own land supplementing or depending on renting their
own assets.Thinking that onerous regulation will force people to farm unfarmable land and Remove
income from working farms somehow benefits the county is foolish.Thinking that taking the ability away
from people to rent their property as they see fit will somehow fix the affordable housing market is a
fallacy.Cost of land,taxes, location will dictate rental prices and in great locations rents will always high.
The state and counties are among the largest landowners in the state. State wide private property held
by individuals is small.The decades long failure to offer affordable land and less regulation is your
housing crisis. I don't like government overreach trying to fix a problem that's not there. I hope that
there are not hotel industry organizations in the background of this.
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RICHARD PROHOROFF
Comm. No b•
Ref. To:
Ref. Date JAW 2 3 2024