Nearly a year after launching its short-term rental registration program, Warren officials have collected fees to cover the cost of the software behind the effort. But fewer than one-third of identified rental units have registered, leaving the town weighing enforcement along with what the town described as poor performance from its contractor.
At its July 28 meeting, the board reviewed an update from Kerry Newton, the town's short-term rental registry program manager, who reported that 152 applications had been approved. Of 445 identified short-term rental units, the compliance rate stood at 29%, with street addresses identified for 78.7% of units. The town has received $35,400 in registration fees, with seven applications still pending.
Newton told the board that progress has been slowed by continuing problems with Granicus, the company hired to identify short-term rental properties and administer the registration system.
"There have been no major changes," Newton said, explaining that she, Select Board chair Devin Klein Corrigan and town administrator Rebecca Campbell recently met with Granicus representatives. She said communication delays and other issues have left the process largely stalled.
SMALL BATCHES
Klein Corrigan said town officials made it clear they were dissatisfied with the company's performance and were unwilling to renew the contract at a higher cost without significant discussions with senior company officials.
"We've just expressed our concern with the way this entire process has gone with Granicus," Klein Corrigan said.
According to Newton, Granicus has updated the town's Grand List and continues sending compliance letters, but discrepancies remain between the properties the company has identified and those the town believes should receive notices. Rather than mailing all compliance letters at once, Granicus has been sending them in small batches.
"They'll send out like three here, and then 20 here, and then 30 here," Newton said. "So, it's just not going very smoothly."
PENALTIES
Those delays prompted a discussion over whether the town should begin issuing penalties to owners who have not registered.
Board member Joel Taplin argued it would be fairest to wait until every compliance letter has been mailed before enforcing penalties, noting that property owners should not be penalized because of problems caused by the contractor.
Newton explained that Granicus tracks which owners have received an initial compliance notice, allowing the company to issue penalty notices after a 14-day warning period. Klein Corrigan said the town should proceed with penalties for owners who have received those notices and failed to register, while acknowledging the board still needs to determine the mechanics of billing and collecting fines under the ordinance.
BELOW EXPECTATIONS
The timing also raised concerns because registrations expire Oct. 31, meaning many owners who complied during the first year will soon be asked to renew while a majority of identified rentals have yet to register.
Resident Perry Bigelow said that if owners who ignored the registration requirement face no consequences, it would be unfair to those who complied and paid their fees. Former select board member Camilla Behn agreed that follow-up enforcement is necessary, saying the town always expected some level of noncompliance.
Although compliance has fallen well below expectations, Klein Corrigan said the program has at least generated enough revenue to pay Granicus' approximately $33,000 contract. However, she noted that the town has not yet recovered the cost of Newton's work administering the program.
"We've received terrible service from Granicus," Klein Corrigan said after residents questioned whether the town could seek a refund or credit from the company.
RELIABLE DATA
Newton said Granicus has identified addresses for just 78.7% of short-term rentals. She told the board the company considers that level typical, even though town officials recalled being told to expect roughly 90% identification during the planning stages.
The meeting concluded with a broader discussion about why the registry was created.
Resident Gene Bifano questioned whether the town had drifted from its original purpose and was now focused primarily on collecting fees.
Klein Corrigan rejected that characterization, saying the registry was never intended to generate revenue or punish property owners. Instead, she said, the goal is to gather reliable data about the number, location and impact of short-term rentals before deciding whether additional regulations are needed.
"We're trying to cover costs so that we can have a better understanding of what short-term rentals are doing within our community," Klein Corrigan said. "We want answers to all of these questions so that we can then start having conversations about how we might regulate, if we choose to do so."
