From left, short-term rental owners Chris Dorman, Brian Draper and Wayne Zukin talk with Saranac Lake village Trustee Rich Shapiro about STR regulation on Wednesday, April 28, in the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

SARANAC LAKE — The village is pausing its public input sessions on potential short-term rental regulations and permits, waiting for results to come in from STR data software it purchased last month and a draft report from its housing work group.

An online event scheduled for Thursday and an open house event scheduled for May 26 have both been postponed until further notice. The village will still accept letters, emails and public comment at board meetings, though.

Trustee Melinda Little, who is also the chair of the village’s Housing Work Group, decided to postpone the public input sessions after the village board reached a “stalemate” over how urgent it feels regulating STRs is at its Monday meeting.

Two trustees feel it’s important to move quickly with implementing regulations. Two feel the public needs data to comment on before these sessions can continue. And there is no swing vote because the mayor, an STR owner, has recused himself from the decision.

The board has already slowed its STR regulation attempt. At its last meeting, trustees chose to purchase the data collection software but held off on purchasing public outreach, compliance and enforcement services.

Shapiro said he disagrees with postponing the public hearings because he worries this will push back implementing STR regulation. He said the village is considering STR regulation because of complaints from neighbors of STRs over noise and parking, not because of housing concerns. He said he wants to give these neighboring residents relief in the short term from noise and parking problems

“You’re assuming we’re going forward with a permit system,” Little said.

She initially assumed this, too but has changed her mind after the first round of public input.

“I can’t see any way to get the short-term rentals under any form of control without a permit system,” Shapiro said

He said the proposed STR permit requirements should be easy to follow, have a “minimal structure” and are meant to maintain “neighborhood integrity.”

Trustee Tom Catillaz agreed.

“We need to get moving,” Catillaz said. “Public hearings are wonderful, but too many of them is too many. It will only confuse the issue and drag it down.”

Trustee Kelly Brunette agreed with Little that she’d like to get more information before making decisions.

Mayor Clyde Rabideau recused himself from discussion because he is an STR owner.

Little said she expects the housing group to release its draft Housing Strategic Plan and Recommendations at the June 14 village board meeting. This report will be the culmination of the group’s two-plus-year look at housing in Saranac Lake. She said it will include information on STRs, long-term rentals and zombie homes, as well as recommendations on how to improve these properties.

Village Community Development Director Jamie Konkoski said the data from Rentalscape should start coming in within two or three weeks, and she will compile it into a report within four or five weeks. This data should come in around the same time as the draft plan.

Public comments related to short-term rentals can be submitted to the board via email at clerk@saranaclakeny.gov or by mail at 39 Main St., Suite 9, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. The village will continue to collect STR Surveys — which can be found on the village website — through May 17.