*Brinksmanship – practice in which one or both parties force the interaction between them to the threshold of confrontation in order to gain an advantageous negotiation position over the other.
By Jerry Keene, Editor, The Oceansider
Sparks flew at the outset of this week’s STR Advisory Committee meeting when committee member Karen Babbitt (representing Neahkahnie) demanded to know which other committee members had contributed to or currently serve on the Board of Directors for
Oregon Coast Hosts – an STR advocacy group. Two such committee members raised their hands: Hillary Gibson representing Neskowin and Nicole Twigg representing South County STR managers. At least one other committee member acknowledged being an OCH contributor. When asked to explain her demand, Babbitt suggested that such committee members had a “conflict of interest” based on
the position conveyed in a letter that OCH’s attorneys delivered to the county on
April 14.
The Oceansider obtained a copy of the letter in question, which will be made part of the Committee’s public record. In it, OCH’s attorneys delivered a clear message to the county: collaborate or litigate. Here is a link:
The letter generally criticized the direction that the county’s STR Advisory Committee deliberations are taking and warned that failure to heed OCH’s legal positions “will result in litigation and substantial liability for the County.” These remarks by OCH’s lawyers stand in contrast to the conciliatory tone adopted by the OCH Board of Directors in previous public statements, which indicated they “would like to … reassure our community that Oregon Coast Hosts is not threatening litigation.” Here is a link:
The OCH letter specifically demanded that “current [STR] permit holders must be grandfathered into whatever scheme the County adopts next;” that they remain entitled to transfer their permits to new owners, and that STR owners not be required to update their houses to meet current building codes. The group also contested the county’s authority to regulate STRs as businesses rather than as protected “uses” under Oregon’s land use laws and procedures. The letter concluded that OCH “remains interested in a collaborative solution” based on what it termed “clear legal answers” to the challenges they raised and advised that the county’s failure to engage them on that basis would prompt Oregon Coast Hosts to “consider other options.”
Community Development Director Sarah Absher, who leads the STR Committee meetings, ultimately responded to Babbitt that membership in such advocacy groups had been “vetted” through County Counsel when the appointments were made and did not bar participation on the Committee. Without responding to the substance of the letter itself, Absher also assured the group that all such external communications are directed to the Committee for the record and play no independent role in the county’s committee process. For her part, Hillary Gibson assured Babbitt and the Committee that she separates her role on the OCH Board from that of serving as Neskowin’s committee representative and focuses only on the latter during committee meetings. Nicole Twigg further explained that, as a vacation rental manager, she primarily participates in OCH for networking and as an educational resource for best practices and industry trends.
The Committee then
returned to its ongoing review of STR issues for compilation in a final report of recommendations to the County Commissioners scheduled for late
May or early June. The
six-hour session proceeded without further controversy. The County will post a recording of the meeting at the
Short Term Rental Advisory Committee Page in the near future. The Commissioners anticipate
taking action on the recommendations before July 1, 2023, when the current “pause” on STR permit applications is scheduled to expire.
The Oceansider will provide a summary of the Committee’s recommendations after its final meeting, which is scheduled for
May 9, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. at the Port of Tillamook Bay offices.
And that’s the view from Oceanside!
jerrykeene@oceansidernews.com
www.oceansidernews.com
