After months of public discussion and heated debate, the town board is set to vote at today’s meeting on the controversial proposed short-term rental law — with a proposed 14-night minimum.
And while there has been no public discussion amongst the town board since the last hearing, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, for one, said he is likely voting for the 14-night minimum.
The vote is slated for today’s 4:30 p.m. town board meeting at Southold Town Hall — and Russell said he doubts it will be tabled again, as it has been in the past as controversy continued.
“I suspect the board will want to vote rather than prolong this issue any longer. I can’t predict the outcome but I have come to conclude that the proposed local law is needed and will cast my vote accordingly,” Russell said this morning.
Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio said he is also “voting for the code as proposed,” with the 14-night minimum.
Other board members said they could not weigh in until after the vote.
In June, a first draft, which said short-term rentals would need to be a minimum of seven nights, was voted down.
At both previous meetings and public hearings, the most recent held earlier this month, residents have turned out in force on both sides of the sharply divided issue, with some crying out to maintain Southold’s quality of life in residential neighborhoods, second home owners stating that the proliferation of sites such as airbnb.com bring a much needed boost to the economy and help them to pay their mortgages, and hotel and B&B owners demanding that short-term rentals be forced to comply with the same fees and regulations.
