TheBurg

08.17 | theburg | 15 "It's a busy house, with people coming over, and I love it," she said. "I'm originally from the South, and having people pop over is normal." Brinkley's next-door neighbor, Shane Gallagher, went Airbnb in late 2016, a few months before Brinkley. He offers an air mattress ("but it's a very nice air mattress," Brinkley said) that's popular with mid-20 and 30-somethings seeking a low-cost place to crash while traversing nearby I-81. One weekly guest of Gallagher's, a nurse studying for her master's degree, frequently skates with Brinkley, a former roller derby player. With Airbnb's reasonable rates, visitors have more money to spend on nice meals at local restaurants, usually recommended by the Airbnb host, said Brinkley. "Note needs to pay us a commission," she joked about the 2nd Street bistro a short walk or Uber up the block. Airbnb hosts say they're not raking in buckets of money, but "it's a smart thing to do if you have a room or an apartment," said Koplinski. "It's a reflection of the self-motivated economy. We're taking it out of the hands of the big corporations and putting it in the hands of everyday people. It's not like there's no rules anymore, but it's almost like you can make your own rules, and this is a neat way to do that." Many guests heading for Koplinski's place take the train into Harrisburg "and Uber over." "It's an updated crowd," he said. "You learn things as you go along. People really like coffee, so you better have the pods ready to go. No one really cares about television. ey all care about where they can plug in their chargers and that the wi-fi looks good." eXCited tO ShAre Neither Koplinski nor Brinkley has received a city notice levying the Business Privilege and Mercantile Tax, but Ted Hanson has. Hanson put the rental home that adjoins his Victorian rowhome in Old Fox Ridge on Airbnb in October 2014 ("Private townhouse near PA Capitol"). Guests vary from administration appointees to Hersheypark visitors. is past May, Hanson got a letter from the city's Tax & Enforcement Office requiring that he obtain a license and pay the tax, "pursuant to the Local Tax Enabling Act." Not so fast, Hanson responded by letter. He has rented out the building for 20 years, "and the only thing that has changed is the manner in which I receive bookings." Aside from the "beyond confusing" forms he was asked to fill out, he wrote, there is the matter of City Ordinance 5-715.3 C (5), stating that "no such (Mercantile License) tax shall be assessed and collected on the gross receipts received as rent by a landlord or his agent." In his response to Harrisburg, Hanson recognized "the city's desire to find additional revenue streams and regulate Airbnb operations within its borders. However, this approach seems cobbled together and might not withstand judicial scrutiny especially in terms of levying additional taxes on Airbnb hosts beyond the property and school taxes we already pay." Chatting over deliciously messy burgers from nearby Jackson House while seated on his covered patio, Hanson said he just wants to see a thoughtful approach in any effort to regulate city-based Airbnbs. "It would benefit everybody if there were some sort of regulation, but do you want to regulate, or do you want to tax?" Hanson said. "What are you concerned about? Are you concerned about public safety or taxation?" e public nature of Airbnb listings makes them easily visible to city tax officials, Hanson noted. "If I was renting it off a bulletin board, or off Craigslist, how would they know?" he said. "In fact, why would they know? I'm not taxable, anyway." Brinkley can't foresee any move to shutter Airbnbs. "It's one of those things that's taken off," she said. "ere's no going back. If they shut down Airbnb, that service is going to exist somehow, because people like it. It's too perfect not to find another way out." Airbnb collects payments from renters and distributes the proceeds to hosts. Without that money-managing service, Brinkley isn't sure she would have gone Airbnb. She would "feel weird collecting from people, because I'm so happy they're here." "For me, it's about meeting people and offering up this beautiful home to travelers," she said. "I'm very proud of this house. It's a beautiful house. I feel very excited to share it." Do you run an Airbnb? Are you thinking about it? Harrisburg will hold a public meeting on Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. in City Council chambers to hear input about how the city should address issues pertaining to Airbnb in Harrisburg. Ted Hanson (bottom) and views of his Airbnb.

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