By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington is following Normal’s lead by charging a six percent tax on patrons who book short-term rentals with Airbnb and similar online services.

Aldermen adopted the tax on a unanimous vote Monday night even though council member Kimberly Bray wanted the ordinance to require safety inspections of rental sites.

Mayor Tari Renner said Airbnb is not opposed to taxing customers at the same rate as competing hotels even as the company wines and dines the nation’s mayors.

“They’ve been very prominent sponsors of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and made sure that they bought us some very, very, very lavish dinners,” said Renner.

The council’s action comes amid data showing Bloomington-Normal has the lowest hotel occupancy rate in the state, and a request from the hotel industry to level the playing field.

Aldermen commended city staffers for working closely with Normal on developing the ordinance.

The council also unanimously approved the purchase of body cameras and other electronic equipment for city police officers at a cost of about $750,000 over five years.

“Much of the academic research that’s been done has shown that it has helped to reduce violence against police officers, as well as citizens,” Renner said.

The mayor noted body cams also help reduce misunderstandings.

Quoting journalist Dan Rather, Renner said the camera “never blinks.”

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]