Members of the Council:

I’m speaking tonight as a resident who cares deeply about this city.

Not long ago, this council adopted a simple standard for major decisions: Does this make Orem more “Family City USA,” or less?

That filter brought clarity then. It can bring clarity tonight.

Because let’s be honest about what’s actually on the table. This isn’t just “regulating” short-term rentals. It’s whether we open the door for our family neighborhoods to be commercialized.

The economics aren’t ambiguous. When short-term rentals expand — especially through platforms like Airbnb — housing supply contracts and prices rise. Homes stop being homes. They become income-producing assets. That attracts investors, drives valuations higher, and pushes young families out of the market.

Now connect that to a promise that was made.

Mayor McCandless told this community she would make housing more affordable for our kids and grandkids. Reducing supply and increasing investor demand does the opposite. That isn’t opinion. That’s how housing markets work.

And there is a second consequence — one that cuts to the heart of who we are.

Fewer families in our neighborhoods means fewer kids on our streets. Fewer kids in our schools. Fewer young families putting down roots here. That is the opposite of Family City USA. That is a different city than the one we built.

I want to speak plainly about something else.

Once a policy like this passes, it is extremely difficult to walk back. People invest based on your vote. Properties get converted. And the moment you try to reverse course, you are told it would be “unfair” to the people who relied on your decision. So yes — technically you can revisit this later. In practice, tonight sets the direction of Orem for years.

There are organized financial interests pushing hard for this outcome. They have lobbyists, lawyers, and platforms behind them. The residents of Orem do not. Your responsibility is not to those interests. It is to the families who live here, raise their kids here, and want to stay here.

Orem is not a resort town. We do not need to turn family neighborhoods into vacation inventory. What we need to do is protect the thing that makes this city different from every other place on the Wasatch Front.

You made a promise to keep Orem Family City USA. When this vote comes — whether tonight or in the weeks ahead — your decision will show whether that was a slogan or a commitment.

Thank you.

Cathy and Dave Young

Cathy and Dave Young are residents of Orem, and Dave Young is the former mayor.