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Select Board, Board of Health debate event rules, enforcement for short-term rentals and private gatherings
Summary
At a June 25 joint session, Select Board and Board of Health members reviewed draft gathering regulations tied to short-term rentals, but the boards did not adopt new rules; officials and residents instead highlighted enforcement capacity gaps and the need for clearer reporting channels and a broader islandwide approach.
A joint session of the Select Board and the Board of Health on June 25 focused on draft gathering regulations aimed at reducing neighborhood impacts from parties and large events, particularly those connected with short-term rentals. The boards did not adopt new rules during the meeting.
The discussion centered on whether draft regulations belong with the health department, whether the town has the staff and hours to enforce new permitting, and whether the rules would fairly apply to private homes as well as properties used as short-term rentals. "I do not believe currently that that is that the regulations as they're written are enforceable," Rocky Miramontes, the town's public health director, told the Select Board, citing limited staff availability and the practical need to determine whether a given property is an STR before enforcement steps could begin.
Board of Health members said they have spent several meetings crafting draft gathering regulations and held public hearings, but noted that the rules raise complex operational questions. Board of Health chair Malcolm McNabb summarized the regulator's challenge: draft rules must define which events trigger permitting, who will review and approve applications, and who will enforce the conditions, including parking plans and noise limits. "Does the health department wanna go out and check the parking situation?" he asked, calling enforcement capacity into question.
Residents and business owners urged clearer complaint channels and better enforcement. "If you're gonna get any kind of regulation going, you've got to have stronger enforcement," Campbell Sutton, an online commenter, said, urging that enforcement be funded and structured so the program can be effective. Several commenters called for registration transparency and easier public access to STR registry numbers.
Select Board members raised similar concerns about scope and fairness. Some members said many of the neighborhood complaints — noise, parking and traffic — are already covered by existing police and noise bylaws and that any new regulation should apply islandwide, not only to STRs. "It isn't just a short term rental situation," one Select Board member said. "This is...is this an acceptable occurrence and how often is it acceptable?"
Officials discussed possible administrative homes for regulation and enforcement. Some residents and a presenter from the civic group Nantucket Neighborhoods First suggested the finance or licensing office could administer registration and enforcement, citing examples from other towns. Board members noted that any substantive change could require a town-meeting vote depending on whether it alters zoning or licensing.
No formal adoption of the draft gathering regulations occurred. The Board of Health signaled it will continue deliberations and may schedule further public hearings; the Select Board encouraged residents to document and submit complaints through the correct channels (police for noise and parking, the records access process for public records) to create a record that will inform policy choices.
Several board members asked town staff to return with data and enforcement-cost estimates, and residents asked for the STR registry to be more clearly posted and updated on a regular basis.
