Seneca City Council To hold Second and Final reading of Short Term Rental ordinance Tonight during County work session and special called council meeting

(Seneca, SC)—–Tonight, Seneca City Council will hold a second and final reading on a short term rental ordinance during their work session and special called Council meeting at 6pm and there are two versions of a short term rental ordinance that Council will consider.

Scott Moulder, Seneca City Administator, said last week on the Coffee Time program that one of the two versions is called the 4% version, which would limit the ability to rent one’s home short term to property that have a 4% assessment rate from the county, which are considered to be primary residences, which are homes that the homeowner lives in. State law, according to Moulder, allows those homes to be rented out 72 days out of each year with the homeowner still claiming that home as a primary residence for tax purposes.

Under this ordinance, according to Moulder, anybody who doesn’t live in the home, any company, any second homes or anything that is not a primary residence would not be able to short term rent under this particular ordinance.

The second version, according to Moulder, is the 6% ordinance and that ordinance would allow 4% and 6% property’s to rent, which means the primary residence could rent for 72 days out of the year and keep their 4% tax rate under state law. Under this ordinance, someone at a 6% property tax rate could rent short term as well, which could be someone who owns a home and does not live here or someone who lives in the city and owns a second home in the city.

Moulder also said that in the 4% ordinance, the city has excluded the core commercial district of the city from that limitation.

Also during tonight’s meeting, Seneca City Council will also consider a petition for speed bumps at Madison Point as well as considering a Hospitality and Accommodations Grant Application for Lake Hartwell Country.