Ordinance and Administration Committee

Name: Ordinance and Administration Committee — Amesbury, MA
Start: 2021-06-15
End: 2021-06-15
Location: Amesbury, MA

Regular Meeting

Amesbury, MA · June 15, 2021

Agenda Minutes

Minutes

AMESBURY CITY HALL 62 Friend Street Amesbury, MA 01913 City Council Ordinance Committee Meeting Minutes June 15, 2021 City Hall Auditorium This meeting was conducted under the ‘Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law G.L. c.30A, §20’, signed on March 12, 2020. Ordinance Committee Chair Mandeville called the meeting to order at 7:06 PM Roll Call was taken and present were: Councilor Rinaldi, Councilor Mandeville, Attorney Raffa and Attorney Johnson Absent were: Councilor Lennon Minutes for approval: May 18, 2021 Councilor Rinaldi motioned to approve the May 18, 2021 Ordinance Committee meeting minutes with corrections noted. Attorney Johnson seconded this motion. Motion passed by unanimous consent (4). 2021-043  Councilor Mandeville said there is still a lot of work being done on this. Attorney Raffa motioned to continue order 2021-043 until the regularly scheduled Ordinance Committee meeting on August 17, 2021. Councilor Rinaldi seconded this motion. Motion passed by unanimous consent (4). 2021-088  Councilor Rinaldi stated he does not believe the Federal Government gives much room to alter anything.  Attorney Raffa suggested it be looked at by KP Law for compliance standards. Councilor Rinaldi motioned to send order 2021-088 back to City Council with a positive recommendation under the assumption KP Law will review it for compliance. Attorney Raffa seconded this motion. Motion passed by unanimous consent (4). 1 2021-091  Councilor Gilday gave an overview of this order as well as the succeeding two orders. o Councilor Gilday said what these three bills are trying to do is lay the foundation down for the regulations. o She said orders 2021-091 and 2021-092 are laying down the very basics the state allows for regulations. She said the wording was practically lifted out of the MGL. o She said this idea started out as one bill but after legal advice from KP Law it turned into two separate bills.  Councilor Mandeville inquired about different types of short term rental establishments are covered. o Councilor Gilday responded by saying there are guidelines provided by state law. She went on to say that 2021-091 and 2021-092 are bills to accept the option of a local community impact fee. o She went on to say order 2021-093 is a set up to begin the process of licensing, enforcements and regulations.  Office of Community and Economic Development Director, Angela Cleveland, offered KP Law’s opinion of adding a stipulation into the two orders, 2021-091 and 2021-092 that these two shall not go into effect until order 2021-093 is completed and has regulations in place. Attorney Johnson motioned to send order 2021-091 back to City Council with a positive recommendation with the provision, should it be adopted, that it will not go into effect until such time as the process from order 2021-093 is complete and has regulations in place. Councilor Rinaldi seconded this motion. Motion passed by unanimous consent (4). 2021-092  There was no discussion at this time. Councilor Rinaldi motioned to send order 2021-091 back to City Council with a positive recommendation with the provision, should it be adopted, that it will not go into effect until such time as the process from order 2021-093 is complete and has regulations in place. Attorney Johnson seconded this motion. Motion passed by unanimous consent (4). 2021-093  Angela Cleveland discussed the process behind the production of these bills. o She requested that the Ordinance Committee recommend as well as assist in the assembly of a subcommittee to develop zoning ordinances.  Councilor Mandeville stated he believes there should be a lot of thought that goes into regulations for single family home room rentals. He believes these are a good option for people needing to supplement their income. Councilor Rinaldi motioned to continue order 2021-093 until the next regularly scheduled Ordinance Committee pending the incorporation of KP Law’s comments into the language and the formation of a subcommittee for the advancement of regulatory zoning ordinances. Attorney Johnson seconded this motion. Motion passed by unanimous consent (4). Respectfully Submitted by, Ellie Andersen, July 14, 2021 2

Agenda

RECEIVED By Ellie at 10:28 am, 6/11/21 AMESBURY CITY HALL 62 Friend Street Amesbury, MA 01913 MEETING NOTICE POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF M.G.L. CHAPTER 30A §§18-25 Version 7.1.10 City Council Ordinance Committee Meeting Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 7:00 PM City Hall Auditorium Topics for Discussion / Agenda: Roll Call Minutes for approval: May 18, 2021 2021-043 An Ordinance to amend Amesbury Zoning Bylaw (2015 as amended) to govern electronic signs, message boards, and billboards. Councilor’ Stanganelli, Mandeville and Lennon sponsor Summary: A measure to amend the Amesbury Zoning Bylaw by updating Section VII: Signs to include defined uses and restrictions on electronic outdoor advertising. 2021-088 An Order to adopt financial policies and procedures over federal awards in compliance with the Federal Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Guidance. – Mayor Sponsor Summary: In FY 2020, the City received in excess of $750,000 in combined Federal awards which triggered a Federal Single Audit in accordance with the Single Audit Act of 1984, as amended in 1996. The only finding on the Single Audit was that the City of Amesbury has not adopted the OMB’s Uniform Guidance of 2014 for documenting policies and procedures over Federal awards. This order resolves that finding by presenting the attached Uniform Guidance for adoption by City Council. 2021-091 An Ordinance to accept the provisions of M.G.L. c.64G s.3D (a) in order to establish a Local Option Community Impact Fee of 3% on each transfer of occupancy of a professionally managed short-term rental unit located within the city- Mayor Gove and Councilor Gilday sponsor Summary: This ordinance will establish a local community impact fee of 3% of the total amount of rent upon each transfer of occupancy of a professionally-managed short-term rental unit located within the City. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 64G s.3D (c), no less than 35% of these collected community impact fees shall be dedicated to the Amesbury Housing Trust. 2021-092 An Ordinance to accept the provisions of M.G.L. c. 64G s. 3D (b) in order to establish a Local Option Community Impact Fee of 3% on each transfer of occupancy of a short-term rental that is located in a two-family or three-family dwelling that includes the operator’s primary residence located within the City. – Mayor Gove and Councilor Gilday sponsor Summary: This ordinance will establish a local community impact fee of 3% of the total amount of rent upon each transfer of occupancy of a short-term rental unit that is located in a two-family or three-family dwelling in the City that includes the operator’s primary residence. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 64G s. 3D ©, no less than 35% of these collected community impact fees shall be dedicated to the Amesbury Housing Trust. 2021-093 An Ordinance to establish a licensing process for short term leases of residential units in the City of Amesbury. – Mayor Gove and Councilor Gilday sponsor Summary: Like many communities in the Merrimack Valley and on the North shore, Amesbury is a desirable location to visit. Companies like Airbnb and VRBO offer an “away from home” experience by offering residential units for lease. However, this can negatively impact the community and our neighborhood character if left unchecked. Therefore, the City of Amesbury should establish a licensing process permitting residential units to be leased on a short-term basis through brokers such as Airbnb, VRBO, etc. This process has been researched extensively though interviews with similar communities across the Commonwealth. This is Step 1 of a two-step process. Once the licensing process is established, regulations should be developed and adopted outlining the length of stay, number of leasing agreements per year, and other criteria that will minimize the impacts of these short-term rental units on the City’s neighborhoods, but still allow a resident to temporarily lease their units to visitors to enjoy and appreciate Amesbury. Adjourn Respectfully Submitted by, June 9, 2021

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