Short-term rentals now allowed in unincorporated Grundy County

The Grundy County Board passed an ordinance Tuesday that adds short-term rentals as an allowed administrative use in unincorporated areas. However, it didn’t go forth without questioning.

Board member Harold Vota, along with other members, pointed out that Grundy County does not have a hotel/motel tax like a city would, meaning those with Airbnb and Vrbo properties in Grundy County are only registering.

Land Use Director Heidi Miller confirmed this, but said there currently is only one short-term rental property in an unincorporated area.

Board Chairman Chris Balkema said that without this ordinance, that property is not in compliance with the county’s zoning laws.

Miller said as a zoned administrative use property, it would be sent to Environmental Health Director Eric Gibson, the highway engineer, the county sheriff and more to ensure the staff knows what is there.

“It may be noisy, there might be pets not on a leash, there may not be buffers and there might not be other safety features involved like smoke detectors,” Miller said. “So we added those things.”

The ordinance as it stands has been vetted by the Grundy County Zoning Board of Appeals, and it will be sent to other groups like the Grundy County Farm Bureau, the Seniors Division for Health and Road Commissioners to share as much information as possible.

It also was sent to the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce, whose President, Christina Van Yperen, appeared before the board.

Van Yperen said Grundy County has been the home to experiences that bring thousands into the county, with events like fForest Fest and the Rhythm & BBQ Festival, and short-term rentals like these would help build onto those experiences.

“People want to stay in an experience, as well,” Van Yperen said. “We’ve received a couple of phone calls regarding where people can stay other than a hotel, and I can tell you that it’s out there. The thought of staying in a historic home in our community, or maybe a cool old farm house on top of doing those great things is appealing to people.”

The concern with the hotel-motel tax was first brought up when Miller pointed out a correction needed in the ordinance: It was written to include wording that assumed Grundy County already had one.

Balkema said the board will have an opportunity to create a hotel-motel tax at a future meeting if the members would like to do so.