LONDONDERRY, Vt.— At their Feb. 5 meeting, the Londonderry Selectboard accepted ARPA terms for the wastewater project funding, approved the use of up to $10,000 to clean the town hall basement before Town Meeting Day, and discussed potential fee structures for a short-term rental (STR) registry. They also authorized Mountain Towns Recreation (MTR) director Liam Elio to sign contracts with a third-party company that will host MTR’s website, and to use a town credit card to purchase necessities such as team jerseys without requiring additional approval from the town of Londonderry.
In previous meetings, the Selectboard agreed to establish a registry to keep track of STR units in the town. Board member Melissa Brown said that, according to the census, there are 1,483 housing units in Londonderry, and estimates put the number of STRs at around 140, not including the Stratton properties. Brown said that STRs comprising 9% of Londonderry’s housing stock seems “relatively high when Woodstock is proposing a 5% gap… Now, once we have the registry and everything kind of susses itself out, it may not look this bleak. But I think we should prepare ourselves for possibly capping short-term rentals, but fairly, and legally, and equitably.”
The housing commission is still developing an official recommendation for how the town should approach application fees, but unofficially, they have proposed a three-tier system with different fees for homeowners, second-home owners, and investors. According to this fee structure, homeowners, who live on site full-time and rent out spaces on their property such as attics, would be charged the least for application forms, and investors would be charged the most. Ideally, this would support long-term housing initiatives and discourage investors from buying up housing stock that would not be used by full-time residents.
Selectboard Chair Tom Cavanagh said his concern with this structure is that the town currently does not know how many of each type of STR is in Londonderry, which could complicate deciding what fee to assign each category. He proposed using a flat fee of $500 initially, and then adjusting it later once the registry had been established and they had more data.
Brown objected, saying this would unfairly penalize homeowners for whom an STR “might be their income that’s allowing them to live here.” She was also concerned that because the fee amounts will not be included in the town’s STR ordinance, so that fees could be changed without going through the ordinance amendment process, it could create ambiguities that could be the basis of a lawsuit against the town. Town administrator Shane O’Keefe said that attorney’s fees would likely cost more than a settlement from such a suit would provide. The Selectboard agreed to pause discussion of STR fees until the next meeting, when they would have the official recommendations from the housing commission.
In updates on restoration work on the town hall after this summer’s flooding, O’Keefe said the structural work done in the town attic is “impressive,” though they still need a stabilizing structure for the balcony, and the balcony seats will have to be moved backstage prior to Town Meeting. O’Keefe said there are a few other structural issues (such as windows set directly into beams instead of hanging on their own frames) that project engineer Chris Cole, other engineers, and several town hall renovation committee members will be discussing shortly.
O’Keefe said that, in the long term, the town basement will need an air-handling unit to reduce humidity. Cole would do more research on this if the selectboard approved, which they did. In the meantime, the town hall basement has to be cleaned by a professional service. O’Keefe requested they hire ServePro, as he knows the owner, but Brown suggested they offer the job to a local company first – namely Carl Grey of Home Maintenance Associates, who did work on a local church after the floods this summer. No matter which company they hire, the basement must be cleaned before Town Meeting Day. Up to $1,000 of basement cleaning could be covered by insurance, and the selectboard authorized up to $10,000 to repair the town hall basement, and for O’Keefe to sign contracts for cleaning services on behalf of the town.
The Selectboard also heard the town treasurer’s year-to-date budget review, appointed member Jim Fleming to make purchases on behalf of the town at the upcoming tax sale, heard an update on the roads and bridges budget, continued discussing the conflict of interest section of the personnel policy, agreed to replace the damaged radar feedback speeding sign, approved excess vehicle weight permits, and heard a brief update on the transfer station and solid waste management.
The Londonderry Selectboard meets on the first and third Mondays of every month, at 6 p.m., at the town office (Twitchell Building).