Plano city council got campaign contributions from PAC for group that supports short-term rentals

Plano city council members have something in common — since November 2021, their biggest campaign contributions have all come from the PAC for a real estate advocacy group that strongly supports short-term rental owners. A KERA review of campaign finance reports found that the Texas Realtors Political Action Committee (TREPAC) donated $1,000 to all of the Plano city council members’ campaign funds at the end of 2021 or in early 2022 — and $2,000 to Mayor John Muns. For all but one council member, it was the only contribution listed on their campaign finance reports during that time. The last reports were submitted in July. Four of the council members, Rick Grady, Shelby Williams, Julie Holmer and Maria Tu, are up for reelection in May 2023.

TREPAC donated to their campaigns at the end of November 2021. Muns, who received $2,000 from TREPAC in December of last year, isn’t up for reelection until 2025. TREPAC also donated $1,000 to the rest of the council members’ campaign funds. Those members can’t run for reelection because of term limits — city council members in Plano are limited to two consecutive four-year terms. Council Members Rick Smith, Kayci Prince and Anthony Ricciardelli finish their second terms in May 2025. Rick Grady’s ends in 2023. The donations came at a time when the Plano City Council has been grappling with complaints about short-term rentals and looking at ways to regulate them. Items related to short-term rentals have appeared on Plano City Council agendas at least since 2018. TREPAC regularly has donated to elected city officials in other North Texas communities. It donated $7,500 each to three Dallas city council members’ campaigns in June 2022, a total of $11,000 to four Arlington representatives’ campaigns in 2019, and a total of $3,000 to three Grapevine council members in 2021 and 2022. Bill France is the leader of the Plano chapter of the Texas Neighborhood Coalition, a local group that wants to ban short-term rentals in residential areas. He said the donations from TREPAC are a conflict of interest.