As one of the three private citizens who petitioned to put Ballot Question A to voters on the April 5th ballot, I would like to explain why I support and will vote in favor of it.
Since the adoption of the Town’s Affordable Housing Plan in 2019, only minimal progress has been made in terms of creating attainable housing for the many people who work and live in Pagosa Springs. Our town, however, has seen progress in the massive increase of short term rentals, many of whose owners neither live nor work here. It’s time that these second home owners, who have been paying a mere 7.15% yearly property tax, contribute something in line with all other commercial property owners. Commercial property owners pay a 29% yearly property tax.
What Ballot Question A intends to do is ask voters to approve a $150 per bedroom per month fee to any short term rental owners who do not live in that property at least nine months out of the year. The majority of the over 100 Short-Term Rentals (STRs) in town are two- and three-bedroom units. These fees would amount to $3,600 and $5,400 per year, respectively. This is still less money than what the Town Planning Commission suggested in July 2021 and is considerably less than a 29% Excise Tax on STRs.
Town Council discussed both an Excise Tax and reallocating a percentage of the Lodger’s Tax to workforce housing in order to create a dedicated funding stream, but only two members were in favor of this. In fact, one of our Town Council members and one of our County commissioners favor a sales tax over any kind of tax on STRs, which will only increase prices for the citizens of Pagosa Springs, many of whom are already paying close to 50% of their incomes on housing.
This is why I continue to support and will vote for Ballot Question A this spring. It seems that the only way we progress in Pagosa is if we demonstrate to our elected officials exactly what we want to see: short term rental owners paying into this economy and helping to sustain it.
Darcy DeGuise
Pagosa Springs
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