Cicero won’t ban short-term rentals

By DAviD Tyler

The town of Cicero will not move forward with a law that would prohibit short-term rentals, and instead will consider regulations around rental properties as part of its comprehensive planning process.

In December, the town postponed a public hearing on the law until March 8, but last month the town announced on Facebook that it would not move forward with the law in the near term.

keep any strange cats from coming in. You also don’t have the fights because that’s usually over mating behavior,” Linda said.

Neutering the animals also makes them calmer and reduces other nuisance behaviors that are often associated with mating.

“The neutered males typically don’t spray. Only about one in ten will spray, so you don’t have to worry about that much anymore,” Linda said. “And there are ways of keeping them out of places that you don’t want them. You have to be a little creative and you have to be persistent, but we do give out a lot of information about that.”

Often people who are accustomed to interacting with domestic animals assume that feral animals can be trained to live as family pets, but most often, Linda said, that’s not the case. “It’s not the cat’s fault that they were born outside anymore than it is a squirrel’s,” she said. “But we’re used to

“The Town appreciates the comments offered on this subject by interested parties at recent Town Board meetings. This input has been very informative, and we value it and take it seriously,” the town’s Facebook post states. “Accordingly, on March 8, the public hearing on this subject will be closed with no action taken, and the topic of short term rental regulations will be addressed as part of the upcoming Town of Cicero Comprehensive Plan process.”

In response to the proposed law, a new organization of rental property owners – the Oneida Lake Vacation Rental Alliance - had formed to oppose the legislation. Oneida Lake VRA President Christine Ravold posted an online petition on change.org that had been signed by more than 1,500 people before the town pulled the short-term rental ban.

“This is encouraging. The Oneida Lake Vacation Rental Alliance supports reasonable regulations to protect the rights of homeowners and build trust in communities,” Ravold posted on the online petition. “We encourage Cicero residents to apply to serve on the Town Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, to ensure that vacation rentals remain a part of the town’s long-term considerations.”