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Committee member proposes cutting STR one-time fee; town reports strong early compliance after switching platforms
Summary
After the town transitioned short-term rental (STR) compliance away from the Avenue platform and received initial data, the Chair reported early results (about 15 tax payments and 7 licenses in 48 hours). A committee member proposed reducing the $300 one-time fee to a permanent $100 annual fee and asked for a subcommittee to study reimbursements.
Chair said the town completed a transition away from the Avenue STR platform; Avenue’s hotline and forms are no longer online and the town has received an initial data transfer with a second delivery expected around the 15th–17th of the month.
To notify affected property owners the town mailed about 800 physical notices, posted information on the website and Facebook, and used email outreach. The Chair said the town recorded 15 tax payments and seven STR licenses within 48 hours of going live.
During discussion, a committee member proposed removing the $300 one-time fee and replacing it with a $100-per-year permanent fee, and suggested waiving reimbursements to those who already paid $300 as a show of good faith toward the STR business community. "I think the number to take care of anybody that had paid the 300 is gonna be relatively small," the committee member said, and another member suggested referring the proposal to a subcommittee for further study.
Staff said most early feedback has been positive and that some human-error issues in initial filings were handled directly by staff. The Chair asked the board to contact town hall with STR questions and noted that a recording of the virtual meeting was reuploaded to Facebook for those who missed it.
Board members agreed to consider a subcommittee discussion on the fee proposal and to continue reviewing incoming data from the STR platform transition.
