Commissioners May Make a Final Decision by This Summer
Trevor Phipps
During the multi-year short term rental (STR) battle that raged across the city of Woodland Park, capped by lawsuits and citizen-driven ballot initiatives, Teller County officials sat back, watched and let the dust settle.
After citizens in Woodland Park voted to essentially ban non-owner occupied STRs within city limits (and a lawsuit was thrown out of court), Teller County opened the doors for their own STR fight. They faced the option of allowing STRs, and if they did, what kind of regulations should be imposed.
The STR regulatory clock now is ticking for the commissioners, and decision time is looming. But Teller leaders say they still want to hear from the experts, and plan to do so over the next month and a half through a series of meetings, which kicked off on Feb. 12.
Last year, the county commissioners spent about six months holding public forums to get feedback from the community. They held meeting at locations in multiple areas in the county to get an idea about how the public feels about STR properties. They also received 700-800 surveys back from Teller residents.
But according to County Commissioner Dan Williams, now that they have heard from the public, it’s time for the commission to hear what the experts have to say. “For the community, there are either people that are for them or against them (STRs), there are very few neutral people,” Williams said. “We heard some complaints and concerns (which are all valid), but now we want to hear from the experts.”
Last week, the county started a series of work sessions related to STRs that will take place over five weeks. Additional STR-related work sessions are tentatively scheduled for Feb. 26, March 12, March 24, and April 9. All of the meetings will also be live-streamed, recorded and then posted on the county’s website.
During the first work session that occurred on Feb. 12, following the regularly scheduled board of county commissioners meeting, the forum focused on STR implications/impacts of on-site waste water treatment systems (septic systems), and property value implications. The following meetings will also take place after regularly scheduled board of commissioner sessions, and they will cover other specific topics related to STRs.
Due to state law, public comment will not be taken during any of these work sessions. The public is welcome to attend, and citizens are encouraged to make comments. But these comments must occur at regularly scheduled commissioner’ meeting during the time reserved for “Unscheduled Public Comments”.
Williams reiterated that the board now really needs to hear from impacted entities that could bear the brunt of a possible STR invasion, and the financial repercussions for property owners regarding a complete STR ban.
“When we hear, for example, that one out of three ambulances now in the summertime is going to a non-resident, a tourist or someone who is uninsured, we will bring an EMS representative in there and we will ask them what they see,” Williams said. “And all of this is not to shape any particular outcome, it’s just to see what the impacts are should we go forward with any regulations; we have to mitigate those impacts.”
According to Williams, after the commissioners finish the series of work sessions, they plan to hold two public hearings to get further input from the residents. “If we move forward with any kind of ordinance, that of course requires several readings which will also be public,” Williams said. “So, I would think by late spring or early summer we should be in a position to start talking about what we want to do and of course involve the public.”
County Lags Behind Municipalities with STR Regulations
One fact remains certain: Teller County is not setting any speed records in dealing with the STR controversy.
The commissioners’ progress towards deciding whether or not to regulate STR properties comes after every municipality within Teller County has already made a decision on STR regulations. In fact, several other Colorado counties have also already chosen to regulate or limit STRs within their jurisdictions, as there are no statewide standards for how to regulate them.
Cripple Creek, Victor and Woodland Park already have laws on the books pertaining to where STRs can be located, and how many are allowed. But according to the county commissioners, countywide policy isn’t quite as simple as that.
Williams said the commissioners have a little more to consider than the city governments. All of the cities that reside in Teller County have citywide water and sewer systems, which come into play when STR decisions were being made.
“All three of our cities have regulations, but the real difference between potential county regulations should we have (any) and cities is that we don’t have municipal water or sewage,” Williams explained. “So, we are talking about septic systems and wells. So, there are a number of courtesy things when it comes to adjacent property owners. So, that’s why we are bringing in some of the experts to talk about the impacts on septic systems and wells.”
Last year, the STR public forums organized by the commissioners resulted in a packed house on many occasions, with residents speaking out passionately on the subject. Since then, the commissioners have stated that they have received a barrage of emails from citizens and property owners about potential STR regulations.
The next series of work sessions and public hearings will undoubtedly spark round two of the heated STR battle within the county. This fight is expected to get quite lively during the forthcoming public hearings, with many people expected to speak out, and with opinions flaring on both sides.
