Montgomery Selectboard reviews draft Short‑Term Rental ordinance as residents raise fee concerns

The Montgomery Selectboard on Dec. 1 reviewed a draft Short‑Term Rental (STR) Registry Ordinance presented by Planning Commission representatives and fielded public comment focused on registration fees and enforcement.

The ordinance, introduced at the meeting packet, cites authority in Chapters 59 and 61 of Title 24 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, including 24 V.S.A. §§ 1971 and 2291(15) and (29), and states its purpose is to “balance the well‑established practice of renting dwelling units to the traveling, transient, and visiting public with the needs of ensuring an adequate supply of long‑term housing” while preserving neighborhood character. The draft would create a town registry, require owners to display a registration number and provide guest safety information, and set occupancy and parking minimums.

Several residents objected to the proposed fee structure. “Question regarding the registration fee being too prohibitive to dwelling owners as a per‑dwelling fee and what about a sliding scale based on size?” said Sarita, urging a scaled approach that accounts for unit size and rental frequency. Pat, speaking for the ordinance drafters, said the fee schedule was modeled on at least five comparable towns and had been revised downward from an initial, higher figure.

Board members did not vote on final adoption at the meeting. Selectboard members and residents asked for clearer estimates of enforcement time and costs so the town can tie the fee to expected enforcement workload before finalizing numbers. The ordinance text in the packet sets an initial application fee of $300 per dwelling unit, a renewal fee of $250, and a late renewal fee of $300, and it establishes penalties and waiver amounts for violations.