LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) - A comment at the Lafayette City Council meeting Tuesday came from a team member, Patrick Mould, of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles.  It's one of the largest festivals held in Lafayette.  

Also, Patrick Mould owns and operates a short-term rental.

"Festival International, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Mardi Gras; alot of tourist come to Lafayette and they want to stay in short-term rentals. They want to stay in Airbnb(s) they don't want to go the traditional route," Mould said.

The proposed ordinance that would allow full-house short-term rentals including Airbnb was introduced by councilman Pat Lewis Tuesday.  The other proposed ordinance that's in opposition was introduced by councilman Andy Naquin.

One after another people shared their opinion about short-term rentals possibly being no more for Lafayette's single-family residential neighborhoods.

"We would have never knowingly purchased a home in between two internet hotels that literally look into our back yard," one person said.

"If I'm in my own home and I want to rent part of my own home to someone, I don't see why that should be regulated by the city," another person said.

Patrick Mould agrees that short-term rentals roll-out the welcome mats for people to come and enjoy what Lafayette has to offer.

"Because of a Hatfield and McCoy situation happening on Myrtle Place you want to create ordinances that would hamper my ability to operate an excellent STR on my own property without any input other than the three minutes I have here," Mould stated.

Mould told the council he spent tens of thousands of dollars locally to convert his house into a short-term rental.  

"What the opposition is saying is based on emotional mistruths about short-term rental property," Mould explained.

"As my wife just said this is commercial if you allow these in and we are not going to have single family living in these communities anymore," a local resident said at council meeting.