CAPE ELIZABETH — Residents will vote in November on a proposed Town Charter change that would require their approval for any Town Council decision that exceeds $1 million for a single capital expenditure.
The council approved the charter change by a 5-2 vote on Monday, July 9.
The change also allows residents to demand a recall vote on any ordinance passed by the council if signatures are gathered from 10 percent of voters – about 750 – within 20 days of the ordinance’s passage. If this is accomplished, the ordinance would be suspended pending the popular vote.
The previous provision stated that a binding citizen vote could occur only after the town clerk receives a petition signed by 10 percent of the registered voters asking to override a council-approved capital expenditure valued at more than 0.05 percent of the state valuation, or about $850,000.
The council also scheduled a discussion on rules governing short-term rental properties for a workshop at 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 6.
The Planning Board made several recommendations for the council to consider for regulating the use of short-term rentals: increase minimum lengths of stay, amend parking requirements and reduce limits on how many tenants are allowed in a dwelling based on lot size.
The board also recommended the council review the nuisance ordinance to see if that can help mitigate problems caused by short-term rentals.
Neighbors raised safety concerns about the constant changing of tenants at short-term rentals at the meeting – some calling for an all-out ban.
Town Manager Mike McGovern urged the council consider an emergency ordinance to address immediate problems stemming from a single short-term rental at 31 Lawson Road, which has had a history of complaints and police calls.
The property is listed as a low-liability company and advertises rentals for $1,000 a night, or $4,000 a week, McGovern said.
The council will hold several more workshops and committee meetings in the coming months before any ordinance is passed regarding short-term rentals, he said.
Will Graff can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or wgraff@theforecaster.net. Follow Will on Twitter: @W_C_Graff
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.