Building boom
VPA rules
University plans more housing in SoBu
Schools shoot for more student sports, activities
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POSTAL CUSTOMER
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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the AUGUST 24, 2023
SB school board chair steps down
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VOLUME 47, NO. 34
Bait drop
Kate Bailey takes the seat LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
During a special meeting Aug. 16, South Burlington school board member Alex McHenry resigned as board chair following an emotional meeting a week earlier where complaints over his effectiveness bubbled to the surface. Following an hour-long executive session, McHenry announced his decision citing a desire to dedicate more time to his family, career and personal ventures. He then nominated Kate Bailey to take his seat. McHenry will remain on the board. In a statement read by McHenry on behalf of the board, he apologized for the PHOTO BY MIKE DEAN
See SCHOOL BOARD on page 11
Mike Dean of South Burlington captured this shot of a helicopter dropping rabies vaccine bait over South Burlington on Aug. 14.
Rental registry, short-term ordinance takes shape COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
How stringent should South Burlington be in regulating short-term rentals? Should it even regulate them at all, or allow exemptions for property owners currently using South Burlington properties as short-term rentals? While still months away from becoming city law, South Burlington’s rental registry and short-term rental ordinance is beginning to take shape. Since the start of the year, the city has been crafting an ordinance that would serve a dual function of creating a rental registry for the city’s more than 3,000 rental units, while also adding limits to the use of short-term rentals — a market domi-
nated by the likes of Airbnb and VRBO — within city limits. Councilors during their Monday evening meeting debated how stringent to keep the draft ordinance that would regulate companies like Airbnb, and they heard from both property owners renting out homes as shortterm rentals and neighbors who say they’ve been negatively affected by them. The registry, if created, would be the first step in regulating the city’s growing rental housing stock. The city last discussed the proposal in May, where councilors mulled where to put the office space needed for staff. Depending on the location, that could cost the city upwards of $1.8 million. Annual fees levied on property owners of rental housing, meanwhile, was increased
to $110 per unit, except for buildings with greater than 40 units where the fee would be $90 per unit. “The team estimates this is sufficient revenue to cover the reoccurring operating expenses of the new program, not including facility costs,” city officials said. Currently, the city’s fire department is responsible for inspection of rental housing properties, but only does so when a tenant sends a complaint. The department has received only 55 complaints over the last two years. The proposed ordinance would create an annual inspection mechanism to ensure the safety of rental housing in South Burlington, city councilor Tim Barritt said. “If somebody is paying money to some-
body else to stay in a room, in a bedroom, in an apartment, in a detached dwelling, I want to make sure that it’s got hardwired interconnected, photoelectric smoke detectors with CO2 combo heads where they need to be, according to fire code,” he said. But while most seem in agreement on the benefits of ensuring safety standards in all the city’s rental housing, the debate over the regulation of short-term rentals is far from settled. “I just think we’re going to have to tweak some around the edges until we get it right where we want it,” Barritt said. The ordinance would mandate that See RENTAL REGISTRY on page 12