Short-term rentals a work in progress for Town Board

The Town Board continued to work on the short-term rental (STR) law passed last month.

At Tuesday’s work session, Councilwoman Amber Brach-Williams noted that she has put together a brief, easy to understand explanation of the law (see Reporter website post — “Shelter Island’s short-term rental law in plain language”).

Councilman Jim Colligan said Jeannette Flynn, who has been tapped for the newly created position of town “compliance officer” for STRs, had no problem with the job description, which would include, among other duties: informing homeowners on registration prices and collect all registration materials; collect fees; assign a registration number to each rental property; and monitor websites advertising STRs to note if homeowners were complying with the law.

Mr. Colligan thought the new duties for Ms. Flynn, who currently works as a secretary to many town committees and boards, would add approximately five additional hours a week to her schedule.

Looking at a budget for the STR regulations, Mr. Colligan estimated that if 75 homeowners registered under the new law and were charged $150 per registration for a 365-day license, the town would net $11,250.

If more homeowners register, the registration fee could be lowered, Mr. Colligan said.

The idea is not to make a profit for the town, but simply to pay for the additional time Ms. Flynn puts in and for office supplies, Mr. Colligan said.

The town is also working on a simple, on-line registration form, the councilman said.
In other business: Animal Control Officer Beau Payne gave the board an overview of the town’s deer management program (see Reporter website post  — “Step up deer culling? Not so fast says animal control officer”).