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Stockton to pursue short-term rental ordinance; attorney asked to draft rules and hotel-tax info
Summary
Council directed Borough Attorney Lisa Maddox to draft an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals and to provide information on the hotel (occupancy) tax rate; public commenters raised police response-time concerns tied to rentals.
Stockton Borough Council on Sept. 15 directed its borough attorney to prepare an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals and to provide background on applicable hotel (occupancy) tax rates.
Mayor Aaron Lipsen said neighboring towns have rules to ensure short-term rentals are run properly and that the borough should consider similar regulations. Borough Attorney Lisa Maddox discussed possible approaches the borough could consider when drafting an ordinance; the council reached consensus to ask Maddox to prepare a draft and compile hotel-tax information for a future meeting.
Members of the public raised related concerns during the open-comment period. Resident Mike Odenwald asked who would handle complaints and how violations would be enforced and cautioned that police response times in Stockton are among the slowest in the state, arguing that response-time constraints should inform any short-term-rental policy. John Bonanni (public citizen) reiterated concerns about response times in the context of the rental discussion.
The council did not take formal regulatory action that evening beyond the request for a draft ordinance and information; any ordinance would require subsequent public hearings and a vote before becoming law.
