6A • May 27, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Gearhart’s vacation rental plan gets scrutiny
State examines plan
to show tax returns
any kind of enforcement mech-
anism for us because we don’t
have a role with local lodging
taxes or permitting.
By R.J. Marx
A recommendation
Seaside Signal
Gearhart is ready to enact
regulations on vacation rentals,
but a key aspect of the proposal
may undergo further review.
A plan to require short-term
property owners to show proof
of iling a 2015 state lodging
tax return with the state De-
partment of Revenue is still
uncertain.
“We still need to have
conversations with them how
about how exactly we would
be able to partner to make this
happen,” Bob Estabrook, pub-
lic information oficer with the
Department of Revenue, said
May 20.
Gearhart already charges a
7 percent lodging tax and Ore-
gon requires a state lodging tax
of 1 percent be paid on a quar-
terly basis.
After July 1, that tax will in-
crease to 1.8 percent, with the
additional funds to pay for state
tourism promotion and the Eu-
gene Civic Stadium.
Planning Commissioner Ter-
ry Graf at the May hearing
on short-term rentals.
According to the Gearhart
Planning Commission propos-
al, property owners who can
show they paid their state lodg-
ing tax in 2015 will be eligible
to apply for a vacation rental
permit, as long as they meet
city standards for off-site park-
ing, septic systems and other
health and safety codes.
Conidentiality
“The thing that makes this
tricky is that our lodging tax
information about taxpayers is
kept at the same level of coni-
dentiality that it is for personal
PHOTOS BY R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL
Planning Commissioner Richard Owsley and City Administra-
tor Chad Sweet at the Planning Commission’s May meeting.
income taxes,” Estabrook said.
“So we don’t have a way we
can share with the city, ‘These
people are compliant, these
people are not.’ The system
would have to be set up in a
way where taxpayers get some
kind of certiication from us
and then they could provide
that to the city.”
Short-term rentals require
the iling of a quarterly return
for the period in which the
house is rented as an income
property, Estabrook said.
If the property is only rent-
ed during certain months, a
return would be required for
those months only.
“If you’re a hotel and open
365 days a year, you’re iling
returns for every single quar-
ter,” Estabrook said. “People
with one home or two homes
may not always have a reason
to ile.”
What kind of system Gear-
hart oficials set up is “up to
them,” Estabrook said. “We
want to have some kind of
conversation about what kind
of information they’re going
to get in what we’re able to
certify. There’s not going to be
Commission presents rules for short-term rentals
Rental from Page 1A
A proposed cap of 35 tran-
sient rental units was eliminat-
ed.
A requirement to limit the
number of rentals allowed
within a seven-day block was
also voted down by commis-
sioners, as it was considered
too dificult to administer.
Permits would not be trans-
ferable, except through inher-
itance.
Expired permits would not
be replaced and new permits
would not be granted, although
commissioners discussed op-
tions for a variance or review
process.
“After they’re lost by sale,
they will be taken through at-
trition,” Sweet said. “We can’t
do anything to tie up future
planning commissions or city
councils, so they can make an
adjustment as they see it.”
Exempted from the pro-
posed rules are areas with-
in Gearhart’s urban growth
boundary but outside city lim-
its, including the Palisades,
Highlands and East Pine Lane,
which do not pay taxes to the
city of Gearhart.
Condominium units with
24-hour on-site management
would also be exempt.
Violations for noise, gar-
bage or other nuisances could
bring a $500 ine from the city.
The public will also have a
role in enforcement.
“If there are local com-
plaints from the general pub-
lic, those will be reviewed by
the Planning Commission,
with possible ramiications,”
Sweet said.
A second complaint will
get a warning and a third com-
plaint may lead to revocation
of the permit, Sweet said.
Incoming revenue from 7
percent lodging tax from the
amount of revenue should be
enough the transient lodging
tax should be enough to cover
“expenses plus,” he said.
Sweet said he would rec-
ommend all revenues be go
toward code enforcement and
toward managing the bud-
get. The city has identiied 96
transient rental properties. Ap-
plication fees are expected to
exceed $500.
“In a couple of years, we
can review that,” Sweet said.
“But for the irst couple of
years, I’m going to recom-
mend they not touch it. We
want to make sure we do it
right.”
He added: “Now we’ll
see if all of this survives City
Council.”
Vacasa takes
the stage
The
recommendations
came before a nearly full ire-
house. Speakers in favor and
against the transient rental or-
dinance pleaded their case in a
continuation of an April public
hearing.
Bryan Geon of Vacasa said
he was not opposed to the
“intent” of the proposed reg-
ulations, but warned of “unin-
tended consequences.”
“Vacasa came to Gearhart
about a year ago and ruined
everything,” Kathy Graff re-
sponded. “It’s all about greed.
G-r-e-e-d, and it’s in Gearhart
right now.”
“The Planning Commission
has gone through their paces
and made a recommendation
to the City Council, but it’s
just that — a recommenda-
tion,” City Administrator Chad
Sweet said. “They did a lot of
heavy lifting and went through
a lot of these regulations, and
really honed them down. Now
it’s up to the City Council to
go along with the regulations,
change the recommendations,
or to come up with something
completely different. That’s
their prerogative.”
The regulations “look sol-
id,” Sweet said.
“Common sense regula-
tions, the safety rules, limiting
the 30- or 60-day sign-up pe-
riod, setting the limit at what
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Miss Clatsop County titleholders give back to community
Sash from Page 1A
“These girls are amazing,”
Sollars said. “All of these
girls have earned scholarships.
We’ve got eighth-graders sit-
ting with money in scholarship
accounts waiting for when
they’re ready.”
This weekend they attend-
ed the program’s Spring Con-
ference — formerly known
as Pageant Camp — at the
Seaside Civic and Convention
Center.
“They get to make lifelong
friends with amazing people
from all over,” Sollars said.
About 120 participants at-
tended the conference, she
said.
Miss North Coast Teen Tess
Rund, 21, studies women’s and
gender studies at the Universi-
ty of Oregon.
“I had never been in the
pageant world before,” Rund
said. “I learned so much about
interview schools —it’s not just
the onstage stuff. It’s the be-
hind-the-scenes, meeting peo-
ple, service, networking. That’s
deinitely been eye-opening.”
Nikkole Sasso, Miss North
Coast’s Outstanding Teen
2016, is a 14-year-old fresh-
man at Astoria High School.
Sasso became involved
with the program at age 5 as a
Miss Clatsop County princess,
and said she loves volunteering
in the community, a passion
she learned from her mother.
Eighth-grader Kaitlin Hill-
man, Miss Clatsop County’s
Outstanding Teen 2016, attends
Broadway Middle School in
Seaside.
“Dance is really my pas-
sion,” Hillman said. “I want
to share my love of dance
throughout the community, and
show how it has many health
beneits, not just a regular
sport, but many health aspects
different from other sports in
our community.”
“I don’t think we realized
how much we impact other
people,” Buys said. “Every
time I’m in my crown and
sash little girls come up to me
with their faces lit up and say,
‘Ohmygosh, you’re a princess!
You’re what I strive to be.’ I
didn’t know that would hap-
pen. Every time I go out some-
one notices me.”
Seaside Improvement
Commission, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
Gearhart City Council,
7 p.m., City Hall, 698
Paciic Way.
THURSDAY, June 2
Seaside Parks Advisory
Commission, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY, June 7
Seaside Community
Center Commission, 10
a.m., 1225 Avenue A.
mission, 7 p.m., City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
and Rec District, 5 p.m.,
1225 Ave. A, Seaside.
THURSDAY, June 9
THURSDAY, June 16
Seaside Convention
Center Commission, 5
p.m., 1225 Avenue A.
Seaside Transportation
Advisory Commission,
6 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Gearhart Planning
Commission, 6 p.m.,
City Hall, 698 Paciic
Way.
WEDNESDAY, June 15
Seaside Library Board,
4:30 p.m., City Hall, 1131
Broadway.
Seaside Tourism Advi-
sory Committee, 3 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Com-
Sunset Empire Parks
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BREAKFAST & LUNCH
MONDAY thru FRIDAY
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Seaside Convention
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Seaside Planning Com-
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Hall, 989 Broadway.
Gearhart Planning
Commission, 6 p.m.,
City Hall, 698 Paciic
Way.
• Breakfast
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WEDNESDAY, July 6
WEDNESDAY, July 20
Seaside Improvement
Commission, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
Sunset Empire Parks
and Rec District, 5 p.m.,
1225 Ave. A, Seaside.
BEST
BREAKFAST
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Seaside Planning Com-
mission, work session,
7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Gearhart City Council,
7 p.m., City Hall, 698
Paciic Way.
THURSDAY, July 21
MONDAY, June 27
MONDAY, July 11
Seaside City Council,
7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Seaside City Council,
7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
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Seaside City Council,
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that comes to, are all probably
going to do well,” Sweet said.
“The attrition factor will also
do well to bring it to the num-
ber the community sees it over
time.”
The plan does not allow
homeowners to transfer their
short-term rental permit after a
property is sold.
“I think we’re very prelim-
inary in talking with them,”
Estabrook said. “This is a new
path they’re trying to blaze in
terms of getting a connection
between local governments
and the state tax. It’ll take some
thinking and talking to igure
out how we might be able to
do that. We don’t have a, ‘We
think that’s a good idea or a
bad idea’ opinion. It’s some-
thing from an administrative
perspective we need to work
out with them.”
The City Council plans to
discuss the proposed short-
term rental rules in July.
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Broadway.
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