Barnhart Raising a Red Flag on County Dealings With Airbnb

Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart is demanding the release of all county records related to Airbnb’s lobbying efforts as lawmakers prepare to vote on whether the county will opt out of New York’s new statewide short-term rental registry — a system designed to track Airbnb and other vacation rentals, standardize tax collection, and enforce safety and licensing rules across the state.

Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart

The registry, approved by lawmakers earlier this year, requires platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo to verify that hosts are registered with the state before listing their properties. Counties are allowed to opt out, but doing so means local governments must rely on their own systems — or in Monroe County’s case, opaque private agreements with Airbnb — to collect taxes and monitor short-term rentals.

Monroe County is poised to become the only large urban county in New York to reject the statewide system, a move Barnhart says mirrors Airbnb’s lobbying preferences and raises questions about private influence over public policy.

“We cannot vote on Airbnb’s preferred policy without seeing the paper trail,” Barnhart said in a statement Monday. “The public deserves to know who influenced this decision.”

Barnhart said lobbying records show Airbnb and its Upstate lobbying firm, Ostroff & Associates, contacted Onondaga, Erie, and Albany counties about the same law. None chose to opt out of the registry.

Only Monroe County — where Ostroff has deep political ties — is moving to do so, she said.

State disclosures reviewed by Barnhart show Airbnb staff and Ostroff lobbyists contacted:

• County Executive Adam Bello

• Senior Deputy County Attorney Joshua Pheterson

• Chief Deputy County Attorney Brendon Fleming

• Chief of Staff Amy Grower

• Former County Attorney John Bringewatt

• Former Intergovernmental Relations Counsel Robert Bergin

Several officials were contacted repeatedly, Barnhart said, noting these are the individuals who would have reviewed or shaped opt-out legislation.

Barnhart pointed to political ties between Ostroff & Associates and county leadership, noting that the firm: Employs Nicholas Morelle, son of Rep. Joe Morelle and a political ally of Bello, who is listed on Airbnb’s lobbying account; Donated $5,000 to Bello’s 2023 campaign; Contributed $2,000 to Deputy County Executive Jeff McCann’s supervisor race; Has made recurring donations to Rep. Morelle over many years.

“This isn’t a neutral firm making policy arguments — it’s a major political player with deep ties to county leadership, lobbying on behalf of a multibillion-dollar corporation,” she said.

Barnhart criticized Monroe County’s use of voluntary contribution agreements — or VCAs — under which Airbnb collects and remits taxes privately, outside legislative approval.

She said the agreements were never approved by the Legislature, were never publicly released, and operate with no transparency.

The statewide registry would replace these private deals with a uniform, enforceable system used in counties across New York.

Barnhart said the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) contradicts Monroe County’s stated objections to the registry. According to NYSAC:

• Counties can charge fees to cover registry costs,

• Existing Airbnb tax arrangements will not be disrupted, and

• Airbnb is pressuring counties by warning it may stop collecting taxes without VCAs.

Barnhart has formally requested:

• all communications between county officials and Airbnb lobbyists,

• all meeting logs, and

• all VCAs and tax receipts involving short-term rental platforms.

The Legislature is scheduled to vote on the opt-out proposal Dec. 9. A private briefing for Democratic legislators is planned for Tuesday, but Barnhart argued that a closed-door session “cannot substitute for public records,” especially since not all lawmakers can attend.

“This decision must be grounded in public interest, not private influence,” Barnhart said. “Release the records and let the facts speak for themselves.”