Council repeals older short-term rental ordinance and agrees to amend new rental-registration rules after implementation questions

At a public hearing the council moved to repeal an older short-term rental registration ordinance (identified as Exhibit 2 on the agenda) that a superior court decision had rendered unenforceable. Staff explained the town had adopted a new rental registration framework through a zoning amendment and that keeping the obsolete standalone ordinance on the books risked public confusion.

Jamie Ellsworth and other staff said the superior court ruled that rental-registration requirements needed to be adopted through the zoning ordinance rather than as a standalone business regulation; the town's new rental-registration process (adopted Oct. 14) therefore superseded the older short-term ordinance. Councilmembers then discussed implementation issues raised by residents after the registration went live, including: whether the fee schedule should be established by council resolution (to allow adjustments without ordinance amendments); extensions of deadlines and general confusion among registrants.

Staff told the council they would return for a future public hearing to amend five items in the registration ordinance, including clarifying the fee schedule mechanics and other operational points. Council voted to repeal the old short-term ordinance at this meeting and closed the public hearing on the repeal.

Next steps: Staff will prepare an amendment package and solicit public input at a future hearing; they also plan outreach (social media and in-person assistance) to help registrants comply.