Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Provincetown are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option for both committee members and residents. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details.
Thursday, Dec. 8
- Pier Corp. Board and Harbor Committee joint meeting, 4 p.m., Town Hall
- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Dec. 12
- Select Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Dec. 13
- Visitor Service Board, 1 p.m., Town Hall
- Licensing Board, 5:15 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, Dec. 14
- Harbor Committee, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Dec. 15
- Board of Health, 4 p.m.
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Short-Term Rental Fee Increase
The Provincetown Board of Health is holding a public hearing at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 to consider changes to the town’s rental certificate program. At present, any property that is available for rent, whether for year-round, seasonal, or short-term occupancy, requires a $300 rental certificate from the town, which is valid for three years.
Under the proposed changes, properties listed for short-term rental on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO would need to pay for a $750 rental certificate every year.
During a presentation at Provincetown’s last housing workshop on Oct. 3, Town Manager Alex Morse and Assistant Town Manager Dan Riviello said the short-term rental software company Host Compliance can detect short-term rentals that are posting listings online but not paying rooms tax to the state or rental certificate fees to the town.
Host Compliance’s preliminary audit of Provincetown detected 1,283 active listings in September — almost double the 660 properties that have short-term rental certificates from the town.
Host Compliance recommends an annual registration fee that is about double the average nightly rate in a given community, Morse said. Provincetown’s average nightly rate is $376, according to the market-research website AirDNA.co, so twice that number would be $752 per year. —Paul Benson
