The city has been showing resolve in trying to bring the vexing problem of illegal transient vacation units under control, through new rules enabling fines to be tacked to liens and other penalties to be assessed.

That has got to produce some sense of vindication, even a measure of hope, among neighbors perturbed by these operations.

But this problem will fester until the city devises a permanent means of balancing the demand for the units with the community impact.

TVUs constitute a broad category of visitor accommodations in residential areas, including both bed-and-breakfast dwellings and what's been dubbed "vacation rentals" — units the renters occupy for fewer than 30 days, without any resident manager on the premises.

For nearly two decades, a moratorium on new permits for these operations has been in effect, but the challenge of documenting violations and curbing illegal operations has bedeviled city officials.

Almost everyone will acknowledge there's a demand for these accommodations. Tourists making return visits, or guests of residents who want a more genuine Isle experience, yearn for something other than a hotel room. Some like the congeniality of a B&B; others prefer more privacy.

There ought to be some allowance for legal TVUs in the visitor marketplace, but deciding how many and under what conditions is no small matter.

Two years ago, the City Council passed a resolution that sought to repeal the ban on B&Bs and establish a permitting system within the Department of Planning and Permitting. The department has been working on such a system ever since, with no deadline hanging over its head.

The basic idea has logic: B&Bs have residents on the premises, giving neighbors with a grievance some recourse. Regulating vacation rentals is more complex, since a property agent would have to be summoned in case of a problem, so it's reasonable that the moratorium could be lifted on B&B permits first.

But progress on even this incremental change has been slow. The city needs to take steps soon toward a permitting system that acknowledges the demand, and keeps it within livable bounds.