MARQUETTE — At the Marquette City Commission on Monday night, the commissioners expressed their support of Michigan House of Representatives bill (HB 5438) which allows municipalities to maintain control of short-term rentals locally.

“It is incredibly important that we keep this at the local level,” said Commissioner Paul Schloegel. “The current program, adopted in 2017, (for short-term rentals) has been used as a template for other communities.”

“This is one of the reasons we belong to the municipal league,” Mayor Sally Davis said. “I am happy to support this bill.

The Marquette city short-term rentals are limited to 250 and allow the city to acquire funds to pay for services for these properties.

In other business, the Marquette City Commission voted unanimously to approve the rezoning of property 756 West Washingon St. on the north side of Washingon from General Commercial to Mixed-Use at the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Hanley and seconded by Commissioner Larson to approve the change. A letter from the owner’s neighbor expressed support for the zoning change.