Fredonia adopts vendor law; trustees agree to further edits on park exemptions and fees

The Village of Fredonia Board of Trustees on May 12 adopted Local Law No. 5 of 2025 establishing Chapter 198 of the village code governing vendors, but trustees said they will return to amend exemptions and a fee schedule after concerns from the farmers market and festival organizers.

The law as adopted creates a 100-foot setback from certain buildings and sets rules for vendor licensing. Several trustees and members of the public urged immediate edits to exempt organized, sanctioned events — such as the farmers market and Festivals Fredonia — from the 100-foot setback and from duplicate seasonal fees that market vendors said would effectively push them out.

Why it matters: vendors and festivals are an economic and cultural fixture in Fredonia’s downtown and parks. Trustees said they want a vendor law in place quickly (it must be sent to the State for review) but also want targeted edits so permitted, recurring community events are not unintentionally excluded or double‑charged.

Trustees discussed a 100-foot measurement from Park Place to the gazebo; trustee remarks and a site measurement by Tom Koski showed the actual distance is about 150 feet, so sanctioned vendors could be moved 50 feet and still meet the setback. Multiple speakers asked the board to add explicit language exempting organized, permitted events (farmers markets, festival days when the village closes the street) from the 100‑foot restriction and to exempt those events from an additional annual vendor fee. Market organizers and a Festivals Fredonia representative, Larry Fiorella, told trustees that a $50 annual licensing fee — which had been discussed as a one‑time seasonal charge — would be burdensome for some small vendors and could cause them to stop participating.

Trustees agreed to adopt the law in its present form so the local law can be filed with the state; at the same time they directed staff to draft amendment language clarifying sanctioned event exemptions and to prepare a separate fee/resolution for later consideration. Several trustees and the mayor noted the amendment and fee schedule will require additional public hearing(s) before changes take effect.

Public comment and board discussion also clarified that the state Agriculture and Markets Law, section 260, was cited during the meeting as the authority that exempts “farm and food products” vendors in certain markets from municipal food‑vendor restrictions; trustees asked staff to confirm applicable statutory exemptions when drafting the fee schedule.

Trustee next steps included: drafting specific exemption language for “organized, sanctioned events” within the park boundary; preparing a fee schedule that specifies duration (examples discussed: April 1–March 31 seasonal license) and whether farmers selling farm/food products are exempt; and scheduling any required public hearings before finalizing fees.