Washingtonville approves pilot vendor permits for Sewell and Fern Island parks; board debates short-term rental rules

The Village of Washingtonville board on April 10 approved a pilot to allow food and other vendors to operate at Sewell Park and Fern Island Park under weekly solicitor permits and set a $3,000 recreation fee for new residential units, while discussing whether to ban short-term rentals in the village.

Village officials said the vendor permits are intended to help develop Sewell Park and draw people downtown. Susan (staff member) said the plan would allow a small number of semi-permanent vendors to operate from roughly May through October and that the village would charge $100 a week per business to start. “We don't wanna chase the people away who enjoy coming here to do their activities because they could probably go anywhere,” Susan said, describing the fee as a low introductory rate meant to grow the park without deterring vendors.

The pilot drew pushback from board member Paul, who questioned the visual and economic impact on downtown businesses. “I just think a bunch of food trucks parked around the village...think about what it's going to look like,” Paul said, asking whether the trucks would compete with brick-and-mortar restaurants and whether time-of-day limits or other conditions should be added.

Board members and staff said vendors would need standard health and licensing certificates and that the village would negotiate hours and placement with each vendor as part of the permit agreements. The board approved solicitor permits for Orange County Ice Cream and other vendors by voice vote; the meeting record shows motions and “Aye” votes but does not include individual roll-call tallies.

The board also approved a change in recreation impact fees, raising the charge for new construction to $3,000 per dwelling unit, effective April 10, 2025. Staff said the increase is intended to keep pace with similar fees in nearby municipalities and to fund park maintenance and equipment.

Separately, trustees discussed short-term rentals (rentals under 30 days) at length. Staff described a countywide survey of 15 municipalities and reported that few neighboring towns collect occupancy taxes or effectively enforce local short-term rental rules. Officials noted a newly enacted state law creating a statewide short-term rental registry but said Orange County had not opted into the program. Village staff recommended drafting a local law to prohibit most short-term rentals in Washingtonville, citing enforcement difficulties, the likelihood of additional calls on police and code staff, and examples from other municipalities that reversed permissive approaches after enforcement burdens grew.

Board members emphasized enforcement limits: building inspectors cannot easily confirm advertised listings outside business hours, and penalties require notice and due process. Staff said penalties used elsewhere include a first-offense fine (example cited in discussion: $500) and larger fines for repeat offenses, but that enforcement still depends on complaint-driven evidence or other proof of rentals. The trustees directed staff to continue drafting local-law language and to circulate it before a public hearing.

Other business at the meeting included approval of procedural and capital items: the board voted to accept Frontier Communications’ notice of intent to cease cable service under its franchise, approved an architectural/engineering evaluation of Village Hall not to exceed $3,700, authorized painting and lining of three municipal parking lots not to exceed $14,100, and authorized a STOP-DWI enforcement patrol grant not to exceed $4,690. The board also approved two personnel hires: a part-time front-desk clerk and a billing clerk. All listed resolutions were moved, seconded and adopted by voice vote at the meeting.

Why it matters: the vendor pilot and revised recreation fee steer small-scale commercial activity into public parks and aim to generate revenue for park work; the short-term rental discussion signals a possible tightening of local rules that could affect owners who host guests for fewer than 30 days. Implementation and enforcement details remain to be written into local law and permit agreements.

The board asked staff to return with final permit agreements, proposed hours and placement rules, draft language for a short-term rental prohibition, and a timeline for public hearings and implementation.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 25-0002: Accept Frontier Communications’ notice of intent to cease cable franchise service — approved by voice vote. - Resolution 25-0003: Approve Land Associates proposal for Village Hall second-floor framing evaluation (not to exceed $3,700) — approved by voice vote. - Resolution 25-0004: Approve parking-lot painting/lining proposal (not to exceed $14,100) — approved by voice vote. - Resolution 25-0005: Authorize Golden Savings Bank fraud-awareness seminar (April 24) — approved by voice vote. - Solicitor permits (Resident 258, Resident 257 and others): Approve weekly vendor/solicitor permits at $100 per week per business — approved by voice vote. - Resolution 25-014: Set recreation fee for new construction at $3,000 per unit, effective April 10, 2025 — approved by voice vote. - Resolution 25-020: Authorize STOP-DWI enforcement patrol agreement (not to exceed $4,690) — approved by voice vote. - Personnel resolutions: hire Sandy Sutchie (billing clerk) and Colin Hickey (part-time front-desk clerk) at board-approved hourly rates — both approved by voice vote.

Details on motions, seconds and the voice-vote outcomes are recorded in the meeting minutes; no roll-call vote tallies were read into the record for these items at the meeting.