Helen closer to short-term rental ordinance

The Helen City Commission held the first reading of an amendment to the business chapter of the Helen City Code at an April 19 meeting. If adopted after a second reading, this amendment will require owners of short-term rentals to pay occupational tax. The amendment defines short-term rentals as “residential spaces located within the city limits of Helen, Georgia, and rented out for overnight accommodations for a period of 1 to 30 nights.” Only one tax certificate will be required for short-term rental owners, even if  they own multiple rentals within city limits. The occupational tax rate that rental owners will have to pay is $350, as well as a $15 admin fee. The commission voted unanimously to approve the first reading.

County Board of Elections Will Conduct Municipal Elections for Helen Moving Forward

Helen has voted unanimously to adopt an amendment to the Helen City Code that will allow the White County Board of Elections to run municipal elections on April 19.

The city of Helen will still be qualifying its candidates and holding election day voting at City Hall as usual. However, the location for early voting can be placed outside the voting precinct and will most likely be held in the county offices for city, county, and presidential elections. This would require early voters to travel eight miles outside of city limits to participate. Other details will be decided ounce a contract is signed between the City of Helen and the White County Board of Elections.

Amendment to Allow Brewpubs to produce up to 10,000 Barrels of Malt Liquor

Helen commissioners unanimously passed the second reading of an amendment that will update the section of the municipal code regarding brewpubs. City Attorney Carl Free brought up a prospective amendment after hearing from a citizen wanting to open one within the Helen city limits. The amendment defines a brewpub as “an eating establishment in which beer or malt beverages are manufactured or brewed.” Previously business owners could only produce 3,000 barrels, which is below the amount allowed by the state. “We passed our initial brewpub ordinance I think in 2011. There’s been some changes to the state code since then. The primary thing is that I think it’s gone up from 3,000 gallons produced to 10,000 gallons produced, so basically what we do now is mirror the state law with regard to a brewpub license,” said Free.

Commissioner Steve Fowler believes there should be a designated Code Enforcement Officer

At the Helen Commission meeting on April 19, Commissioner Steve Fowler said, “It was pointed out in some research recently, that we should have a code enforcement officer or something that works in conjunction with our code and with Darrel [Westmoreland].” Building and Zoning Administrator Darrel Westmoreland currently works as the code enforcement officer. He says that with all of his other duties, it becomes difficult for him to visit businesses to enforce building codes. “It’s hard for me to go out and do inspections, and go out and just be in the inspector, and then come back and throw on a badge and gun and go be a code enforcement officer... I don’t think you need to send the cavalry out to tell someone they’ve got an illegal sign of banner down or a table that shouldn’t be out in places,” said Westmoreland. Commissioner Jeff Ash agreed with Fowler but said that this is a delicate issue that is going to have to be worked out, so that business owners don’t have animosity towards the police officers.