Some mayors in northern Arizona attribute a host of problems affecting their cities to a 2016 law preventing them from regulating short-term rentals.They are asking state legislators to return local control to cities so they can create rules that suit their individual needs. The law, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, stripped Arizona municipalities of the power to prohibit vacation rentals.At a forum in February, mayors from several northern Arizona counties discussed the impact of short-term rentals. They blamed the law for a variety of issues, including workforce recruitment struggles, lower school retention rates, higher housing costs and neighborhood disruptions.They said the law has caused a rapid increase in short-term rental properties in northern Arizona towns with large tourist industries.“Our residents have property rights just like the owners of those mini-hotels, and yet the state legislators turned a blind eye to the very folks that came to Arizona and invested in a home,” said Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow.Lake Havasu City Mayor Cal Sheehy said that, unlike other areas that recently faced restrictions on short-term rentals, his city has had a long history with vacation rentals because of its proximity to Lake Havasu and the Colorado River. He believes that giving local governments the ability to manage short-term rentals could resolve many of the issues.“Lake Havasu City has had short-term rentals since the 1970s, so it has always been a part of our market mix and we have had the ability to control it at the local level,” Sheehy said. “When we had that cont …
