News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau would support a permitting system for short-term rental properties, or STRPs.
Vice President of Development Zach Ledbetter said STRPs such as those listed on Airbnb provide a benefit to the county.
“We do take a stance that the more marketable rooms we have in our destination, the easier it is for us to increase our marketing to get more people into our community and creating a greater economic impact of tourism in Putnam County,” Ledbetter said. “But, we do hope that those Airbnb properties are regulated somewhat like hotels.”
Putnam County commissioners formed a special committee to evaluate and create a permitting process regulating STRPs. Cookeville and Algood city governments have implemented new policies over the last few months for rentals within their city limits.
Ledbetter said having regulations and policies in place will help ensure visitor safety.
“We want to make sure as we bring in those visitors from around the country or truly around the world,” Ledbetter said, “even if it is an Airbnb property, that it is a safe place to stay [with] some of the codes and regulations that some of the hotels have to meet as well.”
Ledbetter said the county first saw a surge in popularity among STRPs during the 2017 Solar Eclipse.
“That’s a great way for people to make a little extra money with those short-term rental properties,” Ledbetter said. “We saw a huge jump in numbers specifically around that event. Some of them have decreased a little since that event, but others have been very popular since then.”
Ledbetter said the bureau relies on the lodging tax collected by hotels and some Airbnbs.
“It’s a visitor-paid tax that is then remitted to Putnam County government an then distributed to us is our portion,” Ledbetter said. “As that is our main source of funding, unless that Airbnb or short-term rental property is collecting that tax from the visitor and remitting that… if they are doing that, we will promote them as a lodging partner or a lodging property for visitors to stay in as another resource.”
Putnam County’s short-term rental committee met for the first time last Thursday. Committee Chair and Commissioner Kathy Dunn said having the STRP properties available provides more opportunities for the Visitors Bureau, property owners, and tourists.
“It really helps these guys who have these short-term rental units in Putnam County, because then they’ve got the Chamber out there marketing their units for free for them,” Dunn said. “Not everybody that comes kayaking or is going to go caving wants to go stay in a hotel room.”
The committee is expected to meet at least one more time prior to July’s planning committee meeting to finalize STRP regulations and policies.
