Twenty two homeowners have registered - that is twenty two too many!
This Board (with the exception of Gary Gerth) does not have a clue.This STR law is a fiasco. Vote out Shepherd, Colligan, Williams, and Dickson (who have all short term rented themselves or their own homes!). What's next? The board has proven themselves disconnected from the reality of what Islanders need to do with their property. It's a private matter that requires no government oversight. Vote in folks that will not infringe on a homeowner's right to rent their property. Shelter Island home owners have never needed to register to rent or jump through income hoops in order to rent. Islanders never had frequency limitations forced on them. DO NOT REGISTER to rent your home. Next the town will limit long term rentals to every other season, or only every other month, or not at all based on your income. Next the income limitation will rule out your right to rent, if you have too much income you will be barred from renting anything long term or short term. Ridiculous!
Bob DeStefano (Town attorney) admits he admitted he added six changes to the STR law before submitting the law to Albany. SIX MATERIAL CHANGES! OUTRAGEOUS! The public needs to see every inch of this law and needs to be able to address each change at a NEW PUBLIC HEARING. It is unlawful to change any law without a complete assessment by the public. Shelter Island needs transparent government.
There won’t be another vote on Shelter Island’s short-term rental law (STR) — at least not in the foreseeable future — despite a charge that the law passed by the Town Board is “invalid.”
The charge came from Kathryn Klenawicus, a staunch foe of the STR law, who maintains the legislation is invalid because it is “materially different” from what was discussed at a public hearing on June 14 in advance of the vote.
While acknowledging there were six changes in the law from the draft that was discussed at the hearing, Town Attorney Bob DeStefano Jr. said none of the changes were “materially different” from the advertised law, but merely minor clarifications to the document. (THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY MATERIALLY DIFFERENT)
Summary of 8/8/19 SI Reporter Article:
Ms. Klenawicus cited six changes she believes from the proposed law:
• In one instance, she objected to the change referring to the definition of what constitutes immediate family, from “his or her domestic partner” to “his or her spouse, domestic partner.”
• A similar change to what constitutes the nuclear family was changed from “his or her domestic partner” to “his or her spouse, domestic partner.”
• The third change to which Ms. Klenawicus objected was a reference on vacation rentals that now reads “Trustee, Beneficiary or Settlor, if a trust,” when the draft law read “Trustee or Settlor, if a trust.”
• The fourth change originally read “submission of federal income tax returns” and it was changed to read “submission of an appropriate redacted copy of federal tax returns for the most recent year.”
• The fifth change inserted a clause that had been absent from the draft. It read “the term shall commence on the first day of occupancy.”
• In the sixth case she cited, there was a reference to “requirements of this Section” and it was changed to “requirements of this Chapter.”
THE STR LAW IS INVALID. DO NOT REGISTER! Demand a full repeal of this terrible legislation that crushes every Shelter Island business!
If you did register - demand a full refund! The law is invalid!
Write the town board and ask for a FULL REPEAL OF THIS LAW: townclerk@shelterislandtown.us
#supportshelterisland
#saveshelterisland
#repealthislaw
#dumpcolligan
#dumpshepherd