The Woes of Being a Destination

HudsonValley360 reports today that Columbia County is contemplating imposing its own tax on short-term rentals: "Columbia County looks into tax on short-term rentals; Hunter starts discussion on short-term rental regs." Matt Murell, chair of the Board of Supervisors, has formed a subcommittee to investigate the possibility. The article reporting on the subcommittee's first meeting, which took place on Monday, notes that the subcommittee was given the following statistics specifically about Airbnb visitors and hosts in the county.

• Columbia County received 14,000 guest arrivals from May 25 through September 3, an increase from last summer's number of guests to the county--11,900. Most of the guests are from New York City, according to the report.
• More than 360 people in Columbia County rented their homes, an increase from 310 last summer. Hosts, as they are called, made more than $2.5 million this summer renting their homes, with the typical host making $4,847.

The subcommittee, which is being called the "Occupancy Charge Review Committee," is chaired by Murell and made up of supervisors Pat Grattan (Kinderhook), Art Bassin (Ancram), Michael Chameides (Hudson-3), Maria Lull (Chatham), John Reilly (Gallatin), and Ann Cooper, administrator for Columbia County Tourism.
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