Bell

The City Council on Monday approved a 30-day urgency ordinance amending the zoning law regulating hotels and motels, effective immediately. The council also took the first step toward increasing from 5% to 8% the quarterly bed tax paid to the city by hotel and motel owners.

The zoning amendments prohibit hotel and motel owners from renting rooms to a person for more than 30 days or renting a room more than twice during a 24-hour period. Under the amendments, the hotel or motel owner must clean each room daily and may not put laundry facilities on the premises. Management personnel may live in only one unit.

The amendments, which apply only to future motels and hotels built in the city, also require the city to perform a market feasibility study before granting a permit for a new hotel or motel. The council will vote on both the bed tax and the zoning amendments at the next council meeting Feb. 19.

The council has acted to strengthen the existing zoning ordinance regarding hotels and motels because “we already have enough motels here in Bell,” said Councilman Ray Johnson. “We can’t prohibit them, but we can see that the land use promotes the general welfare. Imbalance is not a healthy thing.”