Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey held a community budget meeting Thursday night in Algiers, as part of a series of sessions the mayor is hosting to help craft the administration’s 2017 spending plan. At the meeting, the mayor discussed potholes, crime, and short-term rentals.
Here’s what he said on Airbnb and similar services, regulations for which will go before the City Planning Commission on Aug. 9.
Landrieu: "We are actually trying to figure out how you create a regulatory scheme that is clear, concise.. and enforceable."
— Jessica Williams (@jwilliamsNOLA) July 8, 2016
Landrieu: We want to get to a place where it makes sense.. and they are paying what they are supposed to pay in taxes.
— Jessica Williams (@jwilliamsNOLA) July 8, 2016
Landrieu: If anybody has any interest in that, these matters are now before the City Planning Commission and the city council.
— Jessica Williams (@jwilliamsNOLA) July 8, 2016
Some people think that AirBnB actually creates affordable housing. - Landrieu
— Jessica Williams (@jwilliamsNOLA) July 8, 2016
Landrieu gets at least one boo from someone in the crowd on that statement.
— Jessica Williams (@jwilliamsNOLA) July 8, 2016
Also leading up the planning commission discussion, rental services Airbnb and HomeAway have dispatched local lobbyists and PR staff to enter the New Orleans debate.