A national group hoping to create a groundswell of civic opposition to short-term room rental services did not get much traction after a presentation at last Wednesday’s Pope’s Hill Civic Association meeting.

In the first appeal to a civic group in the state, Conor Yunits, representing Neighbors for Overnight Oversight presented the group’s concerns at last week’s Pope’s Hill Civic Association meeting.

Yunits’ pitch: “Short-term online rental companies skirt sensible laws and regulations,” according to literature distributed before the presentation. That lack of oversight “poses a threat to the safety and wellbeing of overnight guests as well as the broader community.”

These popular online short-term rental services such as airbnb, which allow homeowners to rent out rooms, apartments, or their entire homes to travelers. The site offers travelers the chance to experience cities as the locals do and is available worldwide. The company itself has come under fire over the past year over issues with insurance, permitting, and public safety. As of Wednesday, Dec. 10, 17 rooms were available in Dorchester on airbnb, with a median cost per room per night at just under $100.

“I think it’s a non-issue here in Dorchester,” said Chris Widmere, a civic association member said after the meeting. “People come to UMass and the JFK Library and some people have plenty of room to do this.”

Yunits was clear that Neighbors for Overnight Oversight, a coalition of neighborhood associations, law enforcement agencies, and hospitality groups was not pushing for one specific reform. Rather, they hope to create a “level playing field,” requiring that airbnb collect local occupancy and sales taxes, obtain proper licenses, and ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws.

The issue itself occupied little oxygen at the civic association meeting: the presentation and one question from Widmere about the group’s funding lasted under 10 minutes. Much more attention was paid to a more immediate issue: a proposal to build six new units of housing on what is now the former O’Donnell funeral home property at the corner of Tilesboro Street and Neponset Avenue.

After a meeting with civic leaders prior to last Wednesday’s meeting, developer Doug George had amended his initial proposal for seven units down to six. Neighbors, however, were adamant that the parcel should only have four units, and voted down the proposal accordingly.

George meets with the Zoning Board of Appeals in January, and without the civic association’s approval, faces a significant hurdle in getting the city’s support for the project. Pope’s Hill Civic Association President Phil Carter said the group would file a letter of opposition to the project with the city ahead of the hearing and encouraged other opponents to the project to do the same.