City of The Dalles staff on Sept. — presented a proposed ordinance to combine and update two decades-old codes regulating mobile food vendors and transient merchants, seeking to clarify licensing, fees and land-use triggers while preserving the city’s ban on vending in the public right of way outside approved events. The City Council held a public discussion and heard multiple residents urge exceptions for charitable meal programs; the council directed staff to return with the item for action at the Sept. 22 meeting and agreed to a 12-month compliance window for longer-term vendors.

The proposal would consolidate existing chapters, define “temporary” activity as not exceeding 12 months, and replace multiple license categories with two types: Type 1 for seasonal activity (30 days, renewable five times for a total of 180 days) and Type 2 for longer temporary use up to 12 months. Staff said activities that become longer-term uses of land would be governed by the city’s Land Use and Development Ordinance (LUDO) and that site-plan review would be required when vendors connect to city utilities, add more seating than currently allowed, or operate a drive-through.

Community development staff said the consolidation aims to speed approvals and reduce confusion for applicants. “These regulations haven't really been updated in a meaningful way since 1997,” the staff presentation said, and recommended removing a longstanding $20 “investigation” fee and expanding fee waivers and reductions: nonprofit, charitable and Oregon-grown-produce sellers would be eligible for fee waivers, and vendors offering at least two defined “healthy food” items would qualify for a 50% license-fee reduction.

Public commenters focused on two recurring concerns: safety and access on sidewalks near First and Union streets, and the effect of stricter rules on longstanding charitable food distributors. Local business owners described blocked sidewalks and vehicles queuing; adjacent property owners said vendors had sometimes used private power sources without permission. Operators and volunteers from charitable programs said their distribution is low-impact, short-duration and vital to people experiencing homelessness, and asked the council to preserve practical exceptions or to help identify appropriate private locations.

Staff emphasized that the ordinance does not change the prohibition on operating in the public right of way outside an approved special event and that fee waivers for qualifying nonprofits remain available. The proposed enforcement scheme would move away from per-item fines and adopt a presumptive civil penalty structure used in recent code updates: a presumptive fine of $165 for a first violation in 12 months (up to $500), rising for repeat violations. Staff said this replaces the current code’s approach, which could be read to apply up to $250 per item sold.

Councilors and staff discussed a remaining “gap” for vendors who now occupy one parcel for more than 12 months but are not connected to utilities and therefore do not clearly fall under site-plan review. Staff said the city will propose a land-use process to address those situations; until the LUDO amendment is complete, existing Type 2 licenses would remain valid and be renewable, and vendors would have a period (council agreed to 12 months) after the land-use update to come into compliance.

The council made no vote on the ordinance at the meeting. Staff was directed to return at the Sept. 22 meeting with revised materials and an explanatory FAQ for vendors and property owners. The council also asked staff to pursue a land-use amendment process that balances public-safety oversight with a business-friendly option for lower-impact, longer-term vendors.