LONDONDERRY, Vt. – At the July 21 meeting, Selectboard Chair Tom Cavanagh announced that, at the special meeting held on Saturday, July 19, they elected Marge Fish as lister, for the remainder of a three-year term, which will expire on Town Meeting Day, March 3, 2026.
Furthermore, Cavanagh announced that, “The petition to disapprove the short-term rental (STR) ordinance amendments failed by a vote of 66 to 25,” which was voted on the floor at the special town meeting. With this vote, the town approved the amended STR ordinance, and it is now in effect.
The petition was filed by Jessica Citera, who was most concerned about the one-year waiting period for a new property owner to be able to register their property as an STR, and the limit of 50 rentable nights for an unhosted STR.
STR coordinator Andy Dahlstrom later confirmed during the July 21 meeting that the amendments were adopted on April 21, so a house newly transferred after April 21 will not be eligible for STR enrollment until April of 2026. Dahlstrom added that he clarified this date with the town’s attorney, who specified that the date of the vote to adopt the amendments was the start date for them to take effect.
Dahlstrom further clarified that he made suggestions to those purchasing homes regarding the upcoming amendments, and recommended that they register the property right away if they thought they may want to rent it out, in order to be grandfathered into the ordinance before the 50-night limit. Therefore, a property registered before April 21, but transferred after April 21, would have to wait the year grace period before renting, but would not have a 50-night limit.
The board then heard a legislative update from State Rep. Chris Morrow, and approved the Green Mountain Power agreement for Under the Mountain Road. They moved to approve the Spring Hill Road bank stabilization work, which was an urgent matter, and had already been completed in a matter of days by Hunter Excavating, for $35,000. The guardrail work proposal from Lafayette Highway Specialties, for $6,500, came in under budget and was approved, and the town highway structures grants for 2026 were also reviewed and approved. These documents can all be found within the July 21 meeting packet on the town’s website, www.londonderryvt.org.
The board also discussed the Windham County Animal Control Officer program, which was submitted to the town by Sheriff Mark Anderson. The program helps respond to animal control complaints that could otherwise result in a burden on selectboards, town managers, and administrators, such as issues with vicious animals, dogs at large, registration and rabies violations, animal quarantines and removals, and animal abuse or neglect. Given this is a regional program, the board questioned the response time, but overall agreed it was a good idea and modern approach to support the current animal control officer Patrick Salo.
The Londonderry Selectboard meets on the first and third Mondays of the month, at 6 p.m.