Stonington short‑term rental committee recommends registration and fees as town explores housing solutions

A volunteer committee presented recommendations to Stonington selectmen on short-term rentals, urging registration and fee options while the town pursues housing and resiliency planning.

Committee members presented a PowerPoint that clarified distinctions between owner‑occupied short-term rentals and non-owner rental properties. The group recommended a register-and-fee approach rather than immediate punitive measures, citing the need to balance tourism-related rental income with long‑term housing availability.

The selectmen thanked the committee and asked staff and Planning Board members to begin drafting ordinance language and fee structures for a public hearing later in the fall. The board also discussed a proposed $100,000 housing reserve from tax-acquired property sale proceeds to seed housing projects or planning work and approved tax-acquired property sales in at least two cases during a meeting where bids were opened.

Why it matters: Selectmen linked short-term rental policy to persistent housing shortages and workforce availability, and the committee’s recommendations feed into the town’s wider economic-resiliency work with consultants (Camoin) and other regional planning efforts.

Next steps: TM Billings and planning staff will collaborate with the committee and Planning Board to draft proposed ordinance language and a fee structure; a hearing was anticipated later in the year. The selectmen also approved allocating a $100,000 housing reserve from tax-sale proceeds to support housing planning and possible projects.