Dear Editor,
Often proposals before the Putnam County Board of Commissioners place them between a rock and a hard place: a darned if you do, darned if you don’t situation. Their handling of issues raised concerning the Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance is a perfect example.
Concerned residents and STR managers voiced hundreds of comments, both pro and con, during the public hearings and work sessions. The county clerk compiled an extremely long list of comments that were used by commissioners to adjust, add to, or outright change the current ordinance. After attorney review, the latest version was on the agenda at the September 1st meeting of the BOC.
Once additional public comment and clarifications from the county attorney were complete, the STR ordinance unanimously passed with “Yea” votes from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Please read the ordinance for yourself and you may see that everyone got something, but no one got everything.
A huge “Thank You” is in store to County Commissioners Daniel Brown, Gary McElhenney, Jeff Wooten former commissioner Alan Foster, and Chairman Bill Sharp. Thanks are also due to County Clerk Lynn Butterworth, County Manager Paul Van Haute, Sheriff Howard Sills, and County Attorney Adam Nelson.
A special thank you is in order for the untold number of folks who wrote letters, placed calls, and attended the hearings and work sessions. And, a thank you in advance to the Sheriff’s officers and code enforcement personnel who have the task of keeping the ordinance “enforced.”
Nothing is written in stone, and we are assured that if something isn’t working it will be dealt with accordingly. Yes, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, who work for us, you have done well… so far!
Sincerely, Sylbie Yon, Putnam County