Local State Rep. Diane Franklin plans to attend ‘town hall’ discussion hosted by Expedia in Osage Beach. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Tan-Tar-A Resort.

State Rep. Diane Franklin, R-Camdenton, has confirmed she will be attending what is being promoted as a town hall meeting about the vacation rental industry at Lake of the Ozarks hosted by Expedia, a worldwide leader in the online vacation rental industry.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach. The town hall is scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m.

According to Franklin, she was invited to attend the session to discuss a bill she intends to introduce this legislative session that would keep residential property used as vacation rentals protected from commercial assessments.

Franklin said she is looking forward to hearing from property owners and managers who use the online service and how they view lodging taxes, assessments and zoning issues for vacation rentals.

According to information obtained by the Lake Sun, an email was circulated on Jan. 4, addressed to Lake of the Ozarks property owners and managers, through Homeaway.com’s government relations division. Homeway’s parent company is Expedia.

Expedia is hosting the meeting at Lake of the Ozarks, as well as one in Kansas City and another in St. Louis.

Homeaway.com is the online leader in the vacation rental industry that provides internet booking services for properties located throughout the world. The site hosts more than 400 listings from the Lake of the Ozarks area with prices ranging from $2,100 to under $100 a night.

The email invited property owners and managers to attend the meeting to share their perspective with Franklin and hear about potential legislation to be considered during the 2017 session.

The email from Homeaway said, “the 2017 session of the Missouri Legislature is certain to see action on legislation affecting the vacation rental industry. Representative Franklin has been a leader in facilitating discussions between property owners, lodging establishments, municipalities and real estate professionals in the Lake of the Ozarks region.”

The online vacation rental issue ignited controversy in 2016 after a state tax commission ruling opened up questions about whether residential properties used as vacation rentals should fall under the commercial property tax assessment rate.

The other issue tied to vacation rentals is the collection of lodging taxes assessed against lodging facilities, as well as zoning issues. Franklin announced in June she planned to form a local advisory committee to inform state-level policy development addressing emerging issues from the sharing economy, including online homestay rentals.

It is unclear if Franklin intends to move forward with the committee.

Vacation rentals have long been a centerpiece at the Lake of the Ozarks with online homestay rentals providing a convenient avenue for tourists and vacationers to stay as well as to help property owners subsidize the cost of purchasing a home on the lake by providing income.

Philip Minardi, director of policy communications for Expedia, commented:

“For generations, traditional vacation rentals have offered families traveling to the Lake of the Ozarks the opportunity to experience a whole vacation. From cabins by the lake, to golf outings and everything in between, guests have used HomeAway properties to create lasting memories. As the conversation around short-term rental regulations continues, we’re excited to offer our vacation rental homeowners and managers the opportunity to share their stories with each other and their elected officials. Representative Franklin has long been a leader in facilitating discussions between property owners, municipalities and community members in the Lake of the Ozarks region.”