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Short-term rental registration delayed again as county reviews platform messaging
Summary
County tourism staff said the Deckard registration platform has been repeatedly delayed; staff will test the system with operators and review a template letter (with a Fort Ann town-specific disclaimer) before sending notices to hosts; the committee discussed campground registration fees and asked staff to draft clarifying language.
Tourism staff updated the committee on the county's short-term rental registration effort and reported continued delays with the Deckard online platform.
"We had hoped to have this live a month ago; it still isn't," staff said, adding that a promised live link "as of last night" had not appeared. The platform vendor will run a bot-based identification of likely hosts and send a template letter to hosts to inform them about state registration requirements and the county registration process. Tourism staff said they planned to demo the system with local short-term rental operators and adjust the template letter to include a Fort Ann town-level disclaimer for hosts who must still follow that town's separate registration requirements.
Supervisors flagged two open questions: how occupancy tax collection will work through online platforms (state law changes require platforms to collect sales taxes, and counties could opt in for occupancy-collection authority) and whether campgrounds should be assessed the $250 registration fee per campsite or per campground entity. Tourism staff said they would clarify the letter and report back on fee language and implementation steps.
What happens next: staff will review and, if needed, edit the Deckard template letter to include a Fort Ann disclaimer, test the platform with operators and return to committee with recommended fee language for campgrounds and registration rollout timing.
