Carbon County wants to make sure all short-term vacation rental properties are paying their fair share of the 3 percent hotel excise tax.

On Thursday, county Treasurer Ronald Sheehan told commissioners that the county and Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau have been working to find short-term rental properties whose owners have not signed up to collect the tax from its patrons."The rental properties are not necessarily bed and breakfasts or hotels, but are also overnight stays or weekend house rentals," he said.The properties that qualify for this tax will rent the home or room for less than 30 days at a time."They are expected to register and collect the 3 percent excise tax for the county."PMVB has hired a consultant who combed through websites and county tax assessment records, identifying approximately 400 properties in Carbon that have not yet registered and are required to be.Sheehan said that he is not sure if all will meet the requirements because if they rent the property for long-term stays over 30 days, they are not required to collect the tax and will be taken off the list.Sheehan stressed that this 3 percent tax is not being paid by the property owners, but rather by the people renting the property."The property owner renting the property for short-term stays collect the 3 percent tax on behalf of the county and remits it to us so it is the renter paying the tax," he said.He added that letters will be going out to the 400 properties that have been identified through the search in the coming weeks.For more information regarding becoming registered to collect the hotel excise tax, call Sheehan at 570-325-2251, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.In other matters, the commissioners voted to reject a bid for roofing and siding at the Weatherly Area Community Library through its Community Development Block Grant program because the bid, which came in at $152,960 was not in compliance with the bid requirements.