Woodstock’s housing committee wants the town board to contract with an outside company, Granicus, for short-term rental enforcement and to increase fees to pay for the service. Granicus uses computer software to scour and identify listings on short-term rental websites
The Ulster County Legislature recently budgeted funds to cover Granicus’ services for address identification for all municipalities. Other modules are needed for enforcement, committee member Urana Kinlen said at the December 12 town-board meeting.
“It will help the building department in our town to keep everybody honest and fair.”
Fees of $150 for the 296 short-term rental slots currently allowed would raise $44,400 to cover the price of the other Granicus modules. Those include compliance monitoring, rental activity monitoring, a 24/7 hotline and consulting services. Granicus has the ability to send out violation letters with photos instructing rental owners what they need to do to be in compliance. If necessary, the company can provide evidence for court proceedings. The staffed hotline helps neighbors report problems.
“What is going on with short-term rentals?” asks the Granicus website. “Staying up-to-date on market trends and best practices for regulation and enforcement can make the difference between a successful short-term rental compliance program and going back to the drawing board.”
The town building department in Woodstock is already busy handling the increase in short-term rentals.
Housing committee co-chair Susan Goldman stressed the importance of reviewing the fee schedule.
“If you don’t choose to raise the fees this year, it hamstrings the town’s enforcement. No matter how you decide to do enforcement, it hamstrings the enforcement for another year,” Goldman said. “We hope you will see the light and hire Granicus to do the additional things that they can do to support the building department.”
Supervisor Bill McKenna said he was looking at the fees for short-term rentals and other permits. He intends to offer a resolution to set fees at the organizational meeting on January 2. Letters advising owners of the new fees will be sent out shortly thereafter.
Woodstock currently has some of the lowest short-term rental fees in the county. The application filing fee is $50, and the annual operating permit is $50 for the first bedroom and $25 for each additional bedroom. The non-owner-occupied STR permit is $250.
The town placed a ceiling on the number of short-term rentals allowed as a way to preserve more long-term rentals. The town’s housing vacancy rate has been near zero for some time, and available rentals are priced out of the reach of many who work in the town.
As part of its town-budget conversation in October, the housing committee has advocated strongly for local inclusion of Granicus funding.
“There is an immediate need for robust support of Woodstock’s STR enforcement based on accurate digital data, real-time activity, and administrative efficiencies,” its October letter to the town board read. “The number of active legal and illegal short-term rentals is overwhelming. We cannot expect our building department to manage this responsibility without the kind of help that Granicus can provide.”
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