Board Directs Staff to Draft Rental Bylaw

Select Board · Meeting of October 20, 2026

Chatham Select Board directed staff to draft a short-term rental bylaw and funded study of a PFAS treatment option for the 2027 town meeting. Vice Chair Cory Metters presided in Chair Jeffrey Dykens' absence as the board voted unanimously to have town counsel and the Summer Residents Advisory Committee develop a general bylaw after more than a dozen residents described rising noise and corporate ownership problems. Drafter John Giorgio said the model bylaw allows civil penalties "of up to $5,000" beyond standard $300 fines.

The board also voted unanimously to pursue a roughly $2.5 million seasonal PFAS treatment system at Wells 10 and 11 rather than an $18.2 million permanent plant, with consultant Leah Stanton of Weston & Sampson presenting the alternatives. Director of Natural Resources Greg Berman said about 900 short-term rentals are currently registered, well below the 1,300 to 1,500 properties sometimes cited from state data.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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• The complete report — 2,923 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.