County legislator wants term limits, Airbnb tax

A newly elected legislator is hoping to convince fellow lawmakers to support legislation they’ve been reluctant to get behind in the past.

Ulster County Legislator Joseph Maloney has introduced legislation that would impose term limits on most of the county’s elected officials and another that would require Airbnb to collect the county’s hotel/motel tax from its users.

The Legislature could consider resolutions setting public hearings on the two measures when it meets on Feb. 13.

County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach in 2016 first raised the prospect of cashing in on the short-term rental business by levying on those rentals the same 2 percent occupancy tax now charged to patrons of the county’s hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast establishments.

Auerbach estimated Ulster County would collect more than $200,000 from the firm in the first year.

The proposal never gained traction, however, because both legislative and county attorneys said the state law that allows the county to levy the bed tax didn’t extend to lodging booked on sites such as Airbnb.

But Maloney, RSaugerties, said since then, counties across the state have implemented the tax without challenge.

“It always seemed to me like something that made too much sense,” said Maloney, whose wife works in Auerbach’s office. “Since we first started talking about it, 16 other counties in the state have felt comfortable doing it.”

Auerbach has said by imposing the tax on Airbnb users, the county could generate as much as $200,000 in revenue in the first year.

Maloney, who took office in January, has also proposed legislation that would place 12-year term limits on the county executive, county clerk, and county legislators. “I think we could really change everything” with term limits, Maloney said. He said that term limits would prevent people from remaining in office simply to pad their pensions or to get health insurance and could result in the adoption of “meaningful things,” that often get passed over because people are worried about being reelected.

There are times that you’ll get to that 12-year mark and you may lose a really good legislator,” he said. “But I think the pros are going to far outweigh the cons.”

If the measure is approved by the Legislature, it would be put on the ballot for a public vote.

A similar measure was proposed in 2011, but failed to generate support among legislators.