The News & Observer reports that four City of Raleigh employees who attended Austin’s South by Southwest festival used Air BnB for their accommodations. And it’s not the first time. You might be thinking, well, ok, so what if they found a good deal? Agreed. Problem is, the city won’t allow Raleigh residents the freedom to enter the short-term rental markets. 

A task force appointed by the Raleigh City Council studied short-term rentals for months before submitting a series of recommendations last year. The council delayed voting on the proposed rules and sent them to the Economic Development and Innovation Committee. The council took back up the issue in November, but failed to approve a set of recommendations. The issue isn’t officially in any council committee now.

Now that the city has essentially endorsed the concept of short-term rentals, it’s time for council members and Mayor McFarlane to support Raleigh residents’ freedom to do so as well. While other North Carolina cities choose to be unfriendly to property rights, Raleigh should embrace the opportunity to support property rights.