The community’s conversation surrounding short-term rentals in the Town of Bolton will continue at least until May, Supervisor Ron Conover said.
The town might vote on the ordinance then, Conover said in an interview after a public hearing yesterday, but they may keep talking.
The online public hearing remained civil and garnered at least 70 people who asked questions to clarify the regulation or expressed concern for over-regulation. A few welcomed the restrictions.
Conover said at the outset of the meeting that no decisions would be made, and he encouraged people or groups to reach out to him or others on the board and to send emails and letters that would be entered into the public record.
However, one decision has been made: a delay in implementation. Many landlords in the talk already have bookings into 2022.
"I think they [residents] know now that it's not something that we're going to implement for this year,” Conover said.
“Ordinance #47” is aimed at short-term rentals inside residential areas. These are rentals of under one month. Landlords would be required to obtain a permit, possibly submit their homes to a basic inspection, and collect occupancy taxes for the county.
The law would not affect hotels, motels, summer staff lodging and other professional uses.
"I'm very concerned about this proposed ordinance," said Michel Bonin who said he Zoomed in from California. "What are we trying to accomplish with this ordinance?"
That question was raised numerous times, using slightly different verbiage: Had impact statements of the ordinance been completed? Why can’t current laws handle what is happening? Why single out renters when a family might invite as many people as any renter?
Responding to that and other concerns, the town’s attorney, Michael Muller, said they had not completed a study, but "The pressure is on in this community...in terms of the enforcement issues that come before the planning office." He mentioned overcrowding in summer homes and too many cars as a concern. The noise, too, is an issue at times, especially when the noisy person is not the owner of the property but a renter. In some cases, houses drew up to 100 people, and it was clear that the "the rental is created for the purpose of holding the event," he said.
"We tried in this...ordinance to address that,” he said. The law was intended to create rentals that are “organized, safe and within the boundaries of reason." Current zoning does not address this for short-term rentals, he said.
Conover and Muller stressed that they believed the ordinance was a way to allow rentals, not to stop them. They were trying not to become burdensome or onerous.
Tony Cardone, a rental owner and Town of Monroe supervisor, said his community in the Hudson Valley downstate is working on this, too.
"It gives a safer feeling to anyone living around an STR,” he said, using the abbreviation for Short-Term Rental. "I think in the end it's going to be a benefit, given what I've seen."
Other issues brought forward: use of "For Rent" signs, whether older houses would face greater scrutiny, and the cost of the permit. Permission to rent from an association or limits on a deed would trump the ordinance. The town wants to make sure tents, gazebos and other outdoor structures are not rented as "rooms."
“I thought some of the comments were very insightful,” Conover said.