LUDLOW, Vt. – Amongst ambivalence and hesitation, the Ludlow Selectboard decided at their Monday, Nov. 7, 2022 meeting, to approve the development of rental registry within the Town of Ludlow, which will be created in conjunction with the company Granicus.
The meeting was marked by instances of citizens, town officials, and even the representative from Granicus, asking the selectboard to go ahead and make a decision to either approve or dismiss the registry, and overall mixed reactions from most members of the selectboard. Municipal Manager Scott Murphy began the conversation by laying out the options: One, to create a registry with Granicus, or two, to create a voluntary registry wherein it would be up to Short Term Rental (STR) owners to catalog their own information with the town. Chair Bruce Shmidt at this point suggested a third option – to wait until July of 2023 and the next fiscal year to create the registry.
The representative from Granicus, one Samantha White, was able to weigh in during the conversation, claiming that the $27,000 to create the registry was really a non-issue, and that more important question was whether the town wanted rental information “this season, or next?” In response, Schmidt asked White how she suggested raising the funds for the registry. White was able to supply four different possibilities, including using ARPA funds, and deferring the company’s fee until money from the registry started to pool.
Schmidt seemed hesitant to get into another conversation regarding the registry, stating, “I don’t know if I want to get into a big dissertation tonight,” and that the town had spent plenty of time at the past two meeting discussing the issue. Some time was given to citizen comments however, and multiple Ludlow residents stood up to push the selectboard to make a decision, in either direction. Murphy suggested splitting the fee between the two fiscal years, to which there was little response from the board.
White, weighing in again, pressed that with “such a contentious issue, it’s important to make sure you have the data first, and that a decision isn’t made based in emotion.” Board member Justin Hyjek chimed in, stating that he “actually think[s] that the timing of this works perfectly,” with the ski season approaching. Again, Shmidt seemed hesitant, outlining that he considered pursuing a registry as a waste of money if the town decided not to pass a STR ordinance. With minimal input from board members Robert Brandt and Scott Baitz, the selectboard finally decided to push through with the registry, a decision that was met with applause from many of those in attendance.
Additionally, the selectboard decided to push ahead with a traffic study for Preedom Hill Road, in order to gather information as to whether the speed limit should be reduced. One Randy Schoonmaker, CEO of Southeast Vermont Transit, announced that while bus routes in Ludlow will remain the same as last year, a different company will be responsible for transportation. Several other agenda items, such as the approval of a generator for the Community Center, passed without discussion.
In regards to Vail Bridge, paving is to be completed as of Thursday, Nov. 10, with final touches and cleanup to occur soon after. The health officer for the town, as well as the deputy health officer, also stepped down recently, and Murphy announced that the town would consider anyone interested in filling the position.
The next Ludlow Selectboard meeting will take place on Monday, Dec. 5, in the Ludlow Town Hall at 6 p.m.