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Clackamas County directs staff to cost and stand up STR task force after pilot review
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Summary
After staff reviewed the 2023 short‑term rental pilot and heard widespread community concerns about enforcement, caps and fees, the county administrator will form an STR task force with staff and two commissioners to return costed recommendations in about 30 days.
Caroline Hill and Celia Nicholson of the county administrator’s office reviewed the short‑term rental (STR) pilot enacted in 2023 and told the board that the pilot revealed three administrative weaknesses: insufficient dedicated staff time (the pilot budgeted only 0.225 FTE for complaints), a registration process that relies on an honor system with no reliable validation of operators, and software that produces redundant listings and limited reporting capability.
Community input, Hill and Nicholson said, clustered around three topics: stronger enforcement, interest in caps or limits (particularly in mountain communities), and a range of views on fees; neighbors sought greater accountability while many operators urged reasonable registration processes. "Enforcement is the most frequent thing we hear," Nicholson said, and staff flagged potential unrealized revenue from unregistered STRs.
The Board directed the county administrator to form an administrator’s STR task force that includes county counsel, finance, county administration, transportation and development, tourism, and two commissioners. Administrator Gary said the group will meet weekly for four weeks and return a costed proposal in early June that estimates staffing, software, enforcement and fee structures. The direction follows community requests for enforceable rules (for example, 3‑strikes policies, capacity limits, fire and septic safeguards) and for a self‑funding fee model to cover enforcement.
