City leaders targeting large house parties

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — On a Friday night during Spring Break, police responded to a large house party, a stabbing and multiple car crashes, all at the same time.

The police department’s resources were maxed out during those emergencies.

Now, the City Council is focusing on resolving one of these problems.

To combat house parties, the City Council recently passed the first reading of an updated version of its Short Term Rentals ordinance to help law enforcement and to hold the rental owners more accountable when people on their property get out of control.

“It’s just a terrible situation that we put our police in,” said Theresa Metty, SPI councilwoman. “I was just shocked. A good responsible property owner won’t be harmed by this.”

The new ordinance calls for rental owners to be available with their lease agreement to assist officers within one hour in case police have to shut down large house parties.

South Padre Island Mayor Pro-Tem Dennis Stahl said the goal of the short-term rental ordinance is to be able to enforce occupancy limits, alcohol and drug usage, potential assaults and suspected underage drinking.

A $500 fine for each offense and for each hour and for each day such offenses continue is the recommended new penalty for short-term rental owners.

Offenses may include underage drinking, loud music, house parties and occupancy overlimits, to name a few.

Local resident Gail Hood, who is also a Realtor said, “I think it’s going to hurt sales and rentals.”

Hood said the local Realtor association does not want the new ordinance to pass just yet. It still awaits a second and final reading at the next council meeting.

Other residents and rental owners praised the ordinance for its structure and penalties.

“In one case over Spring Break, we had approximately 10 patrol cars and 15 officers in an hours-long standoff because we were locked out of the residence,” said Dennis Stahl, SPI mayor pro-tem.

“That’s a real waste of taxpayer money. It also deprives nearby residents the right to ‘quiet enjoyment’ of their rental or residence.”

Stahl said the police did not have the authority to enter the premises without the owner’s or rental company’s signed consent.

A committee composed of 12 individuals from city leadership, law enforcement, residents and Realtors met for two months and came up with recommendations for the council to adjust the short-term rental ordinance to combat large house parties and to protect the public.

The committee’s objectives were to asses the ordinance and determine if there was opportunity to make changes that would aid the police department in dealing with issues that significantly impact the safety of the neighborhood.

The short-term rental ordinance was originally drafted in 2015 and modeled after Galveston’s ordinance.

“We get several calls relating to large parties and loud music,” said Randy Smith, SPI police chief.

At the last city meeting Susan Guthrie, SPI city manager, stated there have been problems with over-crowded house parties, parking, trash and other criminal behavior.

“We have had parties from a couple hundred people to one thousand people,” Guthrie said. “What we are finding is there are companies out there that will schedule a party and rent the property as a sole person rather than a company.”

The updated ordinance is a working document and can be changed and adjusted by the city council when needed.

The council realizes that short-term rentals are growing in the community and the need to be able to manage them more productively is important.

“Sometimes, a $500 slap on the hand is nothing compared to the amount of money they are making. It was time to put stronger language on the ordinance,” Metty said.