Kingston, N.Y. – Ulster County Executive Mike Hein announces an intermunicipal agreement with the Town of Woodstock to assist their efforts to address concerns about the growing short-term vacation rental market.  Based on the comprehensive short-term vacation rental plan the County Executive announced in March, the County will provide the Town of Woodstock with a detailed inventory of all host properties that are advertising for short-term rentals.  This data, previously unavailable at the local level, will provide local officials with a valuable resource to understand how the growing short-term vacation rental market is impacting their jurisdiction and help inform decision making.

Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive

“I am pleased to be able to assist the Town of Woodstock as they examine the short-term vacation rental issue,” said County Executive Mike Hein.  “For some, these short-term rentals are a full-time business, and with many others it’s a convenient way to bring in extra income to help make ends meet.  Through our efforts, we hope to not only help to bring transparency and fairness to this evolving market, but provide resources to improve public safety while furthering Ulster County’s growing tourism economy.”

William McKenna, Woodstock Town Supervisor

“The Town of Woodstock has been working to strike a balance with the growing short-term vacation rental market,” said Woodstock Town Supervisor William McKenna.  “I want to thank County Executive Mike Hein for his help in providing resources that the Town can use as we work to update our zoning and code enforcement efforts with this emerging issue.”

With the full understanding that the new “sharing economy” is a reality and local governments must continuously evolve to keep up, the County’s ongoing efforts are designed to improve equity and compliance with Ulster County’s Occupancy Tax and to provide resources and technical assistance to assist towns, villages and the City of Kingston in addressing the many challenges associated with the growing short-term vacation rental market.  Currently, there are approximately 1,100 unique properties that are being advertised by the various short-term rental websites across Ulster County, including approximately 280 properties in the Town of Woodstock.