NEW SALEM — Residents will have their voices heard on two warrant articles pertaining to short-term rentals at Tuesday’s Annual Town Meeting, one year after taking no action on the matters following a lengthy floor discussion.
Voters will convene behind Town Hall at 15 South Main St. at 7 p.m. to act on 44 articles.
The first of the two short-term rental articles asks if voters wish to accept the provisions of a proposed zoning bylaw to define and regulate the use of residential housing as short-term rentals in town. The proposed article offers term definitions and requirements related to parking, registration and licensing.
A short-term rental would be defined as, “Any rental of a residential dwelling unit, or of a bedroom within a dwelling unit, in exchange for payment, as residential accommodations for a duration of less than thirty (30) consecutive days, but not a bed-and-breakfast, lodging facility, hotel or motel.”
If the article is adopted, licenses will last for one year and will be renewable at the Selectboard’s discretion. The regulations would also stipulate that anyone operating a short-term rental must comply with town zoning bylaws, including those regulating signs. Also, proof of commercial rental property insurance would have to be provided.
The second related article pertains to imposing a 6% tax on the transfer of occupancy of any room in a short-term rental in New Salem, as allowed by state law.
Selectboard member Randy Gordon said he expects the bylaw article to be fairly contentious and the tax one to be less so.
“It’s basically saying, ‘If (a town has) them, you can tax them,’” he said.
The two articles appeared on last year’s Annual Town Meeting warrant but a consensus was reached to suspend them and establish a committee dedicated to the matter.
Also on the warrant, residents will be asked if they agree to raise and appropriate $21,000 for the Fire Department heating system, while another article pertains to raising and appropriating $26,029 for the highway barn loan payment.
Voters will also be asked to adopt a $3.1 million budget for fiscal year 2023 that is virtually the same as the one approved for the current year. The amount to be spent on education is proposed at nearly $1.88 million — specifically $828,956 on Swift River School, $177,438 on Swift River transportation, $695,627 on Ralph C. Mahar Regional School and $177,330 on Franklin County Technical School.
The final article on the warrant asks if New Salem will support the Fair Share Amendment, which would alter the state Constitution and create an additional 4% tax on annual income of more than $1 million. The idea is supported by Raise Up Massachusetts, a Boston-based nonprofit made up of a coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups and labor unions.
The full warrant is available at bit.ly/3atvtsg.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.