Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2025-10-14RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town ofEstes Park, Larimer County, Colorado October 14, 2025 Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Town Hall in the Board Room in said Town of Estes Park on the 14th day of October, 2025. Board: Mayor Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Cenac, Trustees Brown, Hazelton, Igel, Lancaster and Younglund Attending: Mayor Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Cenac, Trustees Brown, Hazelton, Igel, Lancaster and Younglund Also Attending: Town Administrator Machalek, Deputy Town Administrator Damweber, Attorney Kramer, Town Clerk Williamson, Recording Secretary Stoddard Cameron Absent: None. Mayor Hall called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. VACATION HOME REGULATION UPDATE. Town Clerk Williamson and Town Attorney Kramer presented current vacation home regulations and proposed code amendments pertaining to license transferability, hosted vacation homes, and the waitlist moratorium. Staff noted that licensees of non-transferable licenses could evade the prohibition on transfer by registering as LLCs and other entities, then suggesting that the ownership of non-transferable licenses should be limited to natural persons and their successors only. Successors would be limited to spouses, siblings, children and grandchildren, as verified by the Town Clerk's Office. It was noted that some familial relationships are not captured by the proposed "immediate family" definition. Hosted rental code amendments were presented for discussion, which would allow a primary resident occupancy during rentals. Current B&B licenses would gain eligibility to apply for a hosted rental license during their 2026 renewal regardless of the waitlist and residential cap has been met. A vacation home waitlist lottery was proposed, combining a lottery with a capped waitlist specifically for residentially zoned properties waiting for opportunities to apply. It was noted the waitlist would be limited to 30 applications and be reopened via lottery when 10 or fewer applications remain. An additional amendment was proposed, clarifying advertising a short-term rental without a license as a direct violation, to allow for prosecution. Staff requested the Board consider adding a $200 deposit for all vacation home applications that if approved would be applied to the annual license, and if not approved or completed would be kept by the Town for the staff time spent in processing the application. Board discussion ensued and has been summarized: Expressed concern regarding what transfers would be allowed under the immediate family clause, and proposed that nieces and nephews should be added; raised concerns regarding how to legally verify a common law marriage, with the general consensus being that a formal marriage or adoption certificate would be required, putting the burden of proof on the applicant; acknowledged the issue of multiple beneficiaries to a property and requested responsibility fall on one self-designated beneficiary to control the license; requested a discussion on the possibility of a single-transfer rule for transferrable licenses; noted value in maintaining short-term rental licenses, particularly to lessen disruption and changes for year round residents; noted that license transferability inflates property value; raised concern about the "upon death" clause, and questioned how the Town would assess personal relationships and shared households for transfer eligibility; expressed concern regarding constituent liability without the protection of a business entity such as an LLC, and determined that individual liability was not the Town's purview; and consensus was reached that non transferrable properties would remain non-transferrable without clause. VISIT ESTES^PARK INTERGOVENRMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH LARIMER COUNTY. Town Administrator Machalek stated that at the joint Town Board and County Commissioners meeting on May 6, 2025, the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Visit Estes Park (VEP) has been revised by the Town and the County and feedback from the board has been requested on whether those modifications encompass all revisions the board had sought upon initial review in May. Major modifications to the document included elections provisions clarifying responsibilities for the Town in coordinated elections, a reduction in the number of Visit Estes Park Board of Directors through natural attrition from seven (7) to five (5) in which the Town would appoint three (3) members, and the County would appoint two (2), the implementation of a marketing committee, a revision in the removal process appointed directors to require a majority ruling, and a requirement for majority ruling for dissolution of the IGA and VEP. Staff noted that acceptance of the restated IGA would add additional requirements to the operating plan and would allow for restatement of the VEP bylaws. Board discussion ensued and has been summarized: Commended staff on their revisions; questioned whether more representatives from the lodging community were needed on the VEP board; acknowledged the importance of a marketing committee to conduct marketing rather than the VEP board to separate governance from marketing, and noted that this method has worked for similar communities; discussed the potential for alterations to the budget deadline, and decided that the deadline could align with the Town's; approved the requirement of the line-item budget; and encouraged additional input from VEP staff. TRUSTEE & ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS & QUESTIONS. None. FUTURE STUDY SESSION AGENDA ITEMS. It was requested and determined Visitor Center Parking Lot Design would be heard as a report and discussion item at the regular Board of Trustees meeting and the Annexation IGA with Larimer County was retitled Annexation Policy and Potential IGA with Larimer County. Both are scheduled for October 28, 2025, at the study session and regular meeting respectively. Vendor Fee Rate for Sales Tax Collection was approved but remains unscheduled. There being no further business, Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 6:38 p.m. <./ ^ /c-^/ (. Sarah Sto^ldWd Cameron, Recording Secretary /