l believe the short term rental license ordinance wasn't fully understood. It wasn't a money grab for $25, but a start to get a handle on short term rentals. l do have a seasonal STR.
Not an easy question to answer. Humans tend to act like, well, humans. When life is going on and things seem to be running smoothly, the status quo works fine. The local government is dominated by business interests, and their interests parallel (mostly) the community's interests. Then the community starts to change. Folks like me (and maybe you Lincoln) see a place that looks like paradise and decide, this is where l want, "Not to be doing, but to be!" Then along comes crazy seasonal rent income. Folks from across the country are marketed by real estate promoters, saying insane money can be made on Mt. Desert Island, Maine. A large influx of people (absentee or second homers) come in whose bottom line is return on investment, and not worrying about things like, who is staffing the volunteer fire department? There is a local dead end road in town where short term rentals are dominant. Long term owners feel they are being pushed out (and some sold, reasons vary) by people on vacation, that want what vacationers want; which at times is not what the long term/year round community wants. The local community has to take notice and decide to get more involved, or suffer the consequences. l feel that the short term licensing ordinance was a good first step to get a handle on this situation. Be careful when you call someplace "paradise", for you may have to kiss it goodbye.
l believe the short term rental license ordinance wasn't fully understood. It wasn't a money grab for $25, but a start to get a handle on short term rentals. l do have a seasonal STR.
What would you propose?
Not an easy question to answer. Humans tend to act like, well, humans. When life is going on and things seem to be running smoothly, the status quo works fine. The local government is dominated by business interests, and their interests parallel (mostly) the community's interests. Then the community starts to change. Folks like me (and maybe you Lincoln) see a place that looks like paradise and decide, this is where l want, "Not to be doing, but to be!" Then along comes crazy seasonal rent income. Folks from across the country are marketed by real estate promoters, saying insane money can be made on Mt. Desert Island, Maine. A large influx of people (absentee or second homers) come in whose bottom line is return on investment, and not worrying about things like, who is staffing the volunteer fire department? There is a local dead end road in town where short term rentals are dominant. Long term owners feel they are being pushed out (and some sold, reasons vary) by people on vacation, that want what vacationers want; which at times is not what the long term/year round community wants. The local community has to take notice and decide to get more involved, or suffer the consequences. l feel that the short term licensing ordinance was a good first step to get a handle on this situation. Be careful when you call someplace "paradise", for you may have to kiss it goodbye.