A public hearing on proposed regulation around short-term rentals is set to span two meetings of the Mamakating town board.

The sessions began on November 6, and the first person to speak to raise the case against Airbnbs in the Yankee Lake area was Louis Manganiello. He’s been frustrated by many renters, including a couple from Bayonne, N.J. who, he said, rent their house out on weekends. He said it's often a lot of people using the fire pit, who can be quite loud. He said that on one occasion, an unleashed German shepherd chased his wife in their yard while running after some deer in the woods.

On top of a lot of activity and chaos, according to Manganiello, the couple does not have a garbage pick-up service. They rely instead on a cleaning service that comes a few days after the rental people have left, so trash can pile up there for a while, which, of course, draws bears.

He summed it up saying that the couple is treating their home as a business in a residential zone, and insurance and taxes are not reflected accurately or accordingly.

Elizabeth Zambuto spoke next, echoing a lot of Manganiello’s concerns.

“The renters are not supposed to use the lake, and they [the owners] put up signs, ‘don’t use the lake,’ but people use the lake.” Nothing is enforced, she said. “If someone were to drown in the lake the YLPA [Yankee Lake Preservation Association] could get sued.”

Zambuto said the situation is dangerous because Yankee Lake does not have a lot of services – they only have the state police if there are problems.

“I understand that people want to buy properties. But what if I wanted to buy a property and put in a mom-and-pop store right next to them?” she asked, alluding again to the idea of businesses in a residential zone. “People would not be happy… They are not bad people, but it's a bad situation.”

The hearing was supposed to continue on November 19, but the board deferred until the next meeting on December 2. The board said they are revising the proposal based on what they heard already, and will have it ready for people to review at this next meeting. They also emphasized that residents are still welcome to email any more thoughts or concerns before this meeting, as well as attend the meeting.