Lewis County will soon convene the first meeting of its short-term rental advisory group, which will recommend policy to the Lewis County Board of Commissioners.
The county commissioners approved two resolutions during its Tuesday meeting, one of which appointed the seven founding members of the new advisory group. The second amended the bylaws of the group, changing the required membership to fit the applications they received from residents seeking to join.
The initial bylaws of the new group called for a volunteer short-term rental owner from each of the county’s three commissioner districts. However, that requirement had to be changed after the county only received applications from owners of short-term rentals in District 3. That district stretches from Vader to the east side of the county where the vast majority of Lewis County short-term rentals are located.
“I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so when it comes to the representation all coming out of East County,” Commissioner Scott Brummer said during the meeting.
The new bylaws change the requirement to a preference, allowing the county to move forward with the applicants they have received so far.
“The primary amendment will be to clarify that composition is preferred to have representatives from each district, but not a requirement which represents the applications that we received,” Lewis County Community Development Director Mindy Brooks said.
According to Brooks, the group will convene quarterly and will likely meet for the first time in June.
The group will have two at-large county residents, a fire district representative, three short-term rental owners and a single representative for other accommodations such as hotels, bed and breakfasts and RV parks.
County residents Peggy Rath and Chris Murphy will serve as the resident representatives. Newly elected Lewis County Fire Protection District 6 Commissioner Greg Cole will serve as a fire district representative, and Steve Mayer will represent the hotel and lodging industry.
Three short-term rental owners — Jenn Kattz, Briston Meidinger and Nick Neville, who all own rental properties in East Lewis County — will represent the interests of rental owners.
The creation of the advisory group came after the county refused to approve recommended policies from the Lewis County Planning Commission that would have put more stringent regulations on short-term rentals. Those included rules such as setting a cap on the number of short-term rental properties in the area.
Instead of approving the regulations, the board of commissioners moved forward with developing the advisory group to provide input from county residents and interest groups on what regulations may be necessary and how they might impact the area. The board initially approved the creation of the group in early December 2025 and began taking applications for residents to serve on the board immediately after.
“I appreciate everyone's input and the planning commission, especially those who took the time to go through each of the applications and forward on their recommendations,” Brummer said during the Tuesday morning meeting. “So I think the process is working well, and I'm definitely looking forward to progress made by this committee.”
According to the Lewis County Department of Community Development, there were around 450 short-term rental properties in Lewis County as of last year. Many of those are located in the eastern portion of the county and provide lodging for those visiting places such as Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the White Pass Ski Area.
The county’s new required operating permit for short-term rentals, which was approved by the commissioners last year, is one of the first and only major regulations of short-term rentals in the area. In September, the county commissioners also implemented an occupancy limit for short-term rentals for the sake of preventing damage to septic systems.
Public outcry from owners of short-term rentals during a public hearing over the summer urged the county to slow down on regulations. Testimony included concerns over the regulations themselves as well as a lack of data to support them.
