Cayuga County Legislature defeats local law to opt out of state short‑term rental registry after public hearing

CAYUGA COUNTY — The Cayuga County Legislature debated a proposed local law to opt out of New York State’s new short‑term rental registration system and, following a roll‑call vote on Dec. 11, defeated the measure.

The action followed a public hearing that also included comment on a proposed county motor‑vehicle tax. Residents and business representatives urged caution on new local taxes and asked for clarity on implementation. Mark Betts, who identified himself as state manager for Marshall Companies, said the motor‑vehicle tax raised specifics that must be clarified — for example whether semitrailers, tag‑along trailers or portion‑plated vehicles would be covered — and asked officials to consider existing highway‑use taxes when designing policy. “I just wanted food for thought out there of what we’re doing,” Betts said.

The legislature’s debate on the short‑term rental item focused on whether Cayuga should immediately participate in the state registry or pause to observe statewide implementation. Proponents of opting out argued the county could watch how other counties handle the new program and avoid unforeseen burdens; those favoring remaining in the state system said Cayuga already maintains a voluntary local registry and would lose state‑supplied data if it opted out.

“I would be personally voting not to — I’ll be supporting my resolution to opt out — because I think it’s really an opportunity for us to take a seat and see how this plays out across the state,” one legislator said during debate. County staff noted the revenue situation would not change: sales‑tax receipts tied to short‑term rental occupancy would be collected in either case, but state participation requires that platform operators remit registry data to the county.

Treasurer’s staff reported the county’s current voluntary registry covers roughly 80% of short‑term rental units, but noted the state would provide a fuller list to participating counties. After discussion, the roll‑call vote on the local law to opt out recorded the following among present members: yes — Tom Winslow, Bob Shay, Mark Strong, Heidi Nightingale and Jonathan Anna; no — Elaine McNabb Pullman, Hans Petcher, Elaine Daley and Amy Sargent. The motion to adopt the opt‑out local law was defeated.

The chair emphasized that not acting also has consequences: “If the legislature takes no action we automatically opt in,” the chair said earlier in the discussion. With the opt‑out proposal defeated, the county will remain subject to the state registry rules as written. Members said they will continue to monitor other counties’ experiences and can revisit the decision in the future.

The public hearing also drew speakers who urged the body to avoid new taxes generally. Sue Dreyer told the legislature that residents are struggling with recent tax increases and asked the body not to impose any additional permanent taxes. “No new taxes,” Dreyer said.

Next steps: the county will continue to maintain its local registry and review implementation details as the state system comes online. The legislature did not enact additional short‑term rental regulations at this meeting; members said they may return to the issue after monitoring statewide rollout.