This is the county response to our call to action letter to them. This was received on March 19th.
Dear Mt Hood Livability Coalition –
Thank you very much for your letter regarding Short Term Rentals (STRs) and the upcoming Spring Break season. Your concerns have been shared with the Board of Commissioners and am responding on their behalf.
You are correct that the ordinance, which was approved on September 6, 2023, was to take effect on December 5, 2023. The County made a good faith effort to have the program running by December 6, but wanted to establish the program in a way that is cost effective and responsive to the needs of the community. During that time, a team of county leaders from Department of Transportation and Development, County Administration, Tourism and Finance met and concluded that the best course of action was to contract out most of the work to an organization with experience in the industry.
This prompted our required procurement process, which lasts about six weeks. Once a vendor was selected, we began working on customizing their software to our specifications. Unfortunately, this process takes time, about eight to 10 weeks. While this is not optimal, we are confident that the end result will be a better and most cost-effective program for the County, STR owner/operators and all concerned residents.
In your letter, you express concern about not having a complaint process that works in real time. You may recall that the approved program placed the weight of response on the STR owner/operator, unless it is a life safety concern where we ask that you contact 911. If there is an issue occurring at an STR, the neighbor would then contact the STR owner/operator, and they would need to respond within two hours of the complaint. Complaints to the County, when the STR owner/operator is not responsive or are frequent offenders, would be handled much like a Code Enforcement case, in which the county would work with the STR owner/operator to get them in compliance. Please bear in mind that the Code Enforcement process is a lengthy one. The County works with the public in efforts to get them in compliance while avoiding any punitive action as much as possible.
You also express concern about the STR registration number. I connected with folks in Finance who have been working directly with our vendor to learn about this. They explained that because the Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) set a precedent by using a single number for property management companies, the county made the decision to follow the same practice and adding “STR” in front of it. This should not hinder the ability to report complaints as we are able to accept them using the address of the property.
You mention that there could be an issue when working with multi-national STR management companies. At this time, I can report that most of the 300 or so STRs that have been registered are local.
We really appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention, especially as the peak season approaches. In an effort to be responsive, the county’s Public and Government Affairs office will work on an outreach program to educate the community and remind them of the steps that need to be followed when operating an STR.
Again, thank you for taking the time to connect with us and for your patience as the STR program is launched.
Sincerely,
Caroline Hill
Commission Policy Advisor
Clackamas County Board of Commissioners
2051 Kaen Rd, Ste 450 | Oregon City, OR 97045
503-655-8261 | carolinehill@clackamas.us