The same concerns. Two very different paths.
The concerns the board has raised — noise, parking, water and septic capacity, turnover — are real and worth addressing. Here's how each approach handles them.
BME's own 2020 STR Committee proposed the rules-based approach
The August 2020 STR Committee findings memo presented registration plus supplemental rules as the alternative to an outright ban. Over three weeks, the committee talked to owners on all sides of the issue and reached no consensus. The memo nevertheless developed a detailed rules-based option—occupancy caps, night limits, quiet hours, parking standards, guest restrictions, and an enforcement deposit. A later committee advanced a regulatory package; the September owner update dates its recommendations April 12, 2025, as summarized below. Before a total ban is proposed, owners deserve the board's evidence-based explanation of why these BME-developed alternatives would be insufficient.
A more specific 2025 proposal
The August 24 owner letter describes a Board-appointed STR Committee with two owners for STRs, two against, and a neutral chair. It describes a proposed $2,500 annual BME permit, County permitting, water metering, a 180-night annual cap, a three-night minimum stay, a minimum renter age of 25, quiet hours, and common-area restrictions. These are attributed proposed terms, not rules currently in force.
The $2,500 is described as an annual BME permit proposal, separate from County permit fees. The 2020 committee findings separately describe a local contact and enforcement deposit. The original 2025 recommendations are not yet available here, and the summaries do not establish unanimous support or final adoption.
The September 11 owner update dates later recommendations to April 12, 2025. The April 17 minutes say recommendations were still awaiting one committee member’s response, and the May 2 minutes report rules approved by three of four members with Board concurrence after edits pending legal review. These sources need comparison with the original recommendations and do not establish final adoption. See dated Board sources.
What a BME registration system could include
Drawn from Rio Grande County's permit conditions, BME's 2020 and 2025 committee work, and selected Colorado policy examples.
Owner registration
Every rental registered with the Association, with the Rio Grande County permit on file and a rental rider on the lease.
Occupancy caps
Maximum guests tied to bedroom count, keeping water and septic demand proportionate to what each home was built for.
Quiet hours
Clear, enforceable quiet hours — the same tool Telluride enforces around the clock.
Parking limits
Listings must state a maximum number of vehicles, with a designated-drive rule.
Local contact
An owner or property manager residing in Rio Grande County or a neighboring county—already required by the County—registered with BME for prompt complaint response.
Enforcement deposit
A proposed deposit or fine schedule, subject to the authority and procedures in BME’s governing documents and applicable law.
Agree that rules beat a ban?
Tell the board in writing before the vote — and make sure your ballot gets returned either way.
