Oglesby close to approving short-term rental ordinance

Oglesby is clearing the way for short-term accommodations, such as Airbnbs.

Monday, the Oglesby City Council directed the city attorney to draft a short-term rental ordinance. Commissioner Tony Stefanelli said the draft ordinance, recently modified by the Plan Commission, includes a fee structure modeled after Peru along with safety measures, such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Stefanelli said the nearby state parks have spurred an ongoing need for lodging (Starved Rock and Matthiessen drew a combined 2.8 million visitors last year) and the city needs to create more rental units to meet that demand.

“We stand to capitalize on this,” Stefanelli said, citing letters of support favoring short-term rentals. “If we didn’t do anything, I think it’s just our loss as a community.”

A final draft was not ready for a vote Monday. Mayor Jason Curran observed the many recommendations offered resulted in divergent drafts.

“I think we need a clean copy of everything,” Curran said, “because we’ve got three different ones running around.”

A vote is expected at the next meeting on Monday, Aug. 19.

Oglesby Summer Fun Fest turns $1,400 profit

Finally, Oglesby Summer Fun Fest turned a profit – albeit a small one – which came as a pleasant surprise to Curran, who worried that excessive heat and high entertainment costs would result in a loss.

“Believe it or not, we’re at about a $1,400 profit,” Curran said. That’s lower than in previous years but, “I’m relatively pleased that it’s not a negative.”