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Winooski amends short-term rental ordinance; council adopts resolution to set non‑owner-occupied cap
Summary
Council amended Municipal Code Chapter 17 to allow the City Council to set the cap on owner‑occupied short‑term rental licenses by resolution and approved a companion resolution setting a cap on non‑owner‑occupied licenses.
Winooski City Council on Monday approved amendments to Chapter 17 of the municipal code to change how the city sets a cap on short‑term rental licenses and then adopted a resolution to set a cap on non‑owner-occupied short‑term rental licenses.
The ordinance that created the short‑term rental registry program (effective July 1, 2024) required the council to adopt a cap and an allocation mechanism by June 30, 2025. Jasmine, the city’s housing initiative director, briefed the council that attorneys drafted language allowing the cap to be set “from time to time by city council resolution” rather than embedding a fixed number in ordinance, enabling the council to adjust the cap without an ordinance change.
Councilors voted to amend chapter 17 as presented and then to adopt the resolution setting a cap on non-owner-occupied licenses; both measures passed by voice vote. Staff indicated the ordinance changes and the resolution will go into effect according to statutory timeframes (staff said a 30-day effective period applies to the ordinance change). The transcript does not record the cap number within the discussion; council adopted the resolution as presented at the meeting packet.
Why it matters: changing the ordinance to permit a resolution-based cap gives the council flexibility to respond to market conditions and housing needs. Staff will implement the registry changes and follow the effective-date requirements specified in state and local law.
