I have been a resident of Breckenridge since 1974. Breckenridge is a resort town that relies on tourism to survive. It has become a very popular destination both winter and summer.

Breckenridge Town Council is working to pass a cap on the number of short-term rentals. This whole idea came out of left field in the past few weeks. The council thinks this will take the town back to a more idyllic time when it was not so crowded and create more long-term housing. Both are foolish ideas.

What it does do is violate the 5th and 14th amendments of the Constitution by taking away a homeowner’s right to rent their property out on a nightly basis without compensation.

Most importantly, it diminishes the value of any property that has or will be used as a short-term rental due to the fact that a new owner cannot rent the property to vacationers for short periods of time.

It will make properties harder to sell and sell for a lesser price than they did prior to the implementation of the rule. This will affect hundreds if not thousands of homeowners in Breckenridge in a very negative way. We have to stop this.

I propose to create a legal fund to pay attorneys fees for a class-action suit against the town of Breckenridge to stop this cap of short-term rentals.

There is not enough room to cite the two amendments here, so please Google the 5th and 14th amendments to have a look.