Current Issues
Here's some things you should know regarding decisions the Town Board has made.
Fees for Short Term Rental (STR) Permits
The average per night rental fee for an STR rental in Wilmington, according to AirDNA, is $317.90. In 2023, the average revenue per STR listing in July and August 2023 was over $4,000 per month. The Town of Wilmington fee for a one year STR permit is $300 per unit plus an additional $50 for each sleeping area. The STR permit fees are a tiny portion of the income STR owners are earning. These fees generate income for the Town. Board members Follos and Dreissigacker Hooker have advocated for an increase in the STR permit fee for whole home rentals, while Supervisor Smith, and Board members Forbes and Preston continue to reject an increase. Why are those three Board members opposed to an increase that would help the Town, and be a drop in the bucket for whole home STR owners?
Increase in Wilmington Property Taxes
A Town Hall meeting was held on October 30, 2024 for Wilmington residents. Town residents who attended were very upset about the recent increase in property taxes. Yet at a meeting on November 8, 2024 the majority of Town Board members voted to pass a local law that would allow them to override the property tax cap. NYS law prevents communities from increasing the overall property tax levy by more than 2% per year or the rate of inflation. But communities can get around this by passing local laws. Supervisor Smith and Board members Forbes and Preston voted in favor of the law. Board members Follos and Dreissigacker Hooker voted against it. Board member Follos suggested other ways to meet budgetary needs, but Smith, Forbes, and Preston appeared unwilling to consider these alternatives. Some Wilmington residents have already been hit hard with the current property tax increase. Why do Supervisor Smith and Board members Forbes and Preston want to be able to raise property taxes further rather than considering other alternatives?
Response to Community Input
The Town Board is not always responsive to community input. Many residents were concerned about the original STR law that was passed. It was very weak. After many complaints, Supervisor Holzer created a committee to revise the law. The committee spent many hours drafting a new law. The Town Board did amend the law using some of the committee’s suggestions. One change is that a new STR permit is required every year instead of every two years. The amended law also put a cap on the number of STR permits at 150. Many of the other changes the committee suggested were ignored by the Board. Also, the Board voted to allow exemptions to the cap number of 150. They did not describe how they will decide who gets an exemption. That will make it very hard to turn anyone down who asks for an exemption. So the cap can be exceeded and probably will be exceeded. That means there really is no cap.