rLlE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

METROPOLITAN COURTHOUSE
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37201
PHONE: (615) 862-6000
EMAIL: mayor@nashville.gov

MEGAN BARRY
MAYOR

October 6, 2016
The Honorable David Briley, Vice Mayor
Members of the Metropolitan Council
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville
and Davidson County
Nashville, Tennessee 37201
Dear Vice Mayor Briley and Members of the Metro Council:
I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and concerns related to the enforcement of short term rental
property rules in Davidson County.
In an effort to improve the quality of service from the Codes Department as it relates to STRP enforcement, we
have engaged a consultant, Fiscal Choice Consulting, to review the operations of the Property Standards
Division of the Department of Codes. They will make recommendations related to staff size, organizational
structure, work shift assignments, as well as proactive property maintenance code administration and
enforcement by the end of 2016. This will include enforcements specifically related to STRPs, as well as other
functions of the Property Standards Division that are intended to improve the quality of life in our
neighborhoods.
As part of this review, the consultant will be interviewing a member of the Codes Committee, a member of the
Convention and Tourism Committee, and at least four members of the Metro Council with the highest
proportion of registered STRPs in their districts.
Additionally, the consultants will look at best practices in other cities, while also determining whether the
Codes Department is the proper place within Metro for the functions of the Property Standards Division. We
anticipate a final report and recommendations to be received from the consultant by the end of the calendar
year, however, we have asked Codes to still move forward with hiring their unfilled positions so they have
adequate staff to meet the public's needs.
Our Police Officers are responsible for enforcing noise violations or parking issues that might impact the quality
of life in our residential neighborhoods, and will continue to perform that function. However, enforcing STRP
violations such as operating without a license or exceeding the occupancy limits would be an inappropriate use
of MNPD resources. We hope that the recommendations from the aforementioned report will lead to better
enforcement of these rules by the Property Standards Division.
Regarding the suggestion that our Finance Department send out quarterly notices to STRP owners about their
tax liability, we agree this is a good idea and Director Lomax-O'dneal has agreed to implement such a policy. As
it relates to non-registered STRP properties, the Finance Department is in the process of reviewing options to
help in identifying and tracking such properties so that everyone is operating under the same rules.

The Honorable David Briley, Vice Mayor

Members of the Metropolitan Council
October 6, 2016
Page Two
I understand and share the frustration of many of you as it relates to some of the bad apples in the STRP
marketplace. I know that most who participate in this shared-economy model want to maintain strong,
positive relationships with their neighbors when renting out their homes to visitors. It is my intention to do
what we can as an administration to enforce the existing rules in a way that improves quality of life in our
neighborhoods, while also maintaining our reputation as a welcoming city.
As always, we appreciate your feedback and recommendations on how we can ensure Metro Government is
providing the highest level of service to the citizens of Davidson County.