Red Bank council shoots down mayor's veto, squeezes rules on Airbnb rentals

RED BANK - The council voted to overturn Mayor Billy Portman's veto of a contentious ordinance that will severely restrict short-term rentals like Airbnbs in the borough.

During a special 10 a.m. meeting Friday, council members and members of the public expressed their distaste or support for the ordinance and the process it went through to become law.

Resident Mary Ellen Mess spoke in support of the ordinance, saying she feared that allowing short-term rentals in residential zones would open the doors for businesses to operate in residential zones.

Other residents including Airbnb owner Vahid Walker said he had wished the council would have consulted the owners, many of whom support some form of restrictions on short-term rentals.

"We've considered everybody's comments." said Councilman Michael Ballard, who led the initiative. "We took in everybody's comments and we do what we think is best for the entire town."

The vote to overturn the veto was 4-1, which cleared the two-thirds majority needed. Councilwoman Kate Triggiano voted against overturning the veto and Councilwoman Angela Miranda left the meeting before the vote.

The ordinance in question affects anyone renting out their property for less than 28 days and completely ban them in purely residential zones. Short-term rentals will be allowed to operate in the commercial zones in the borough labeled BR-1, BR-2, CCD-1, CCD-2, I, LI, NB, HB, WD and PO. But the short-term rentals will have to be owner-occupied, meaning the property needs to be the primary residence of the owner.

The ordinance was passed on Feb. 8 with a 5-1 vote. Triggiano was the sole vote against the original ordinance.

Portman vetoed the ordinance after a council meeting concluded on Feb. 22, blindsiding the council.

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In a statement, Portman wrote, “The intent to prohibit homeowners broadly from offering short-term rentals is unmistakable.”

He noted promises made in December to work out contentious details that failed to come to fruition.

“In an effort to appease a few people in complete opposition to short-term rentals, Councilmembers Ballard, Jackson, Sturdivant, Mirandi and Zipprich ignored the simple and widely acceptable solution — to require that short term rentals are owner-occupied,” Portman contended. “This would eliminate the concerns raised about individual properties, while preserving the rights of Red Bank homeowners in all districts.”

In Red Bank, mayoral vetoes are rare. After the passage of an ordinance, mayors are required within 10 days to sign it into municipal law or veto it. To override a mayoral veto, two-thirds of the council — four votes — would be needed to vote in favor of overriding the veto.

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“I don’t know if there’s anything else I can do at that point,” Portman said on Wednesday when asked about the council potentially overriding his veto. “I made my point. I was hopeful that maybe there would be an amendment to it, but it’s really out of my hands at that point.”

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at [email protected]. 

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Red Bank NJ council overrides mayor's veto on Airbnb rentals