Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Chatham Town Board last month voted to move forward with a public hearing on a proposed law governing short-term rentals. The board's three-to-two vote also sends the measure to the county planning board for review. The public hearing will be conducted August 6. Town Supervisor Donal Collins and board members Vance Pitkin and Abi Mesick voted in favor of the motion; board members Kevin Weldon and John Wapner cast the two dissenting votes. Mesick said the law, if adopted, would be reviewed again when the town’s Comprehensive Plan is updated, a project that began in January. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person gatherings, the board held several public meetings on the proposed short-term rental law,. As for the newest draft of the law, Pitkin said, “We want to make it clear this is a stop-gap.” He said that this proposed measure would be changed once the Comprehensive Plan is updated and the board reviews its zoning law. The law, as currently proposed, defines a short-term rental property is “a single-family or two-family dwelling made available for short-term rental.” There is no occupancy requirement for owners these properties, but they are required to apply for a permit from the town and “only one short-term rental permit may be issued to any owner in any calendar year.” The town can deny, revoke or decline to renew a permit for various reasons, including finding the property owner did not file a "full, true and complete application; ...failed to comply with or violated the conditions and restrictions of the permit; ... [and] fails to maintain his, her or their principal residence [domicile] in the town of Chatham..." Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.