Rome vendor permit schedule draws calls for change from local business owner

Sarita Ruiz, a Rome business owner, told the Rome Common Council on April 24 that the city's vendor (peddler) permit schedule and fees disadvantage seasonal vendors and asked the council to amend the six-month permit term to May through October and reduce the six-month fee to $100.

Ruiz said the current process requires proof of insurance, workers'comp and disability forms, health permits for food vendors, references, a background check and an application fee of $50 due at submission; the remainder of the fee is due upon approval. She told the council Rome issues about 16 peddler permits a year, generating roughly $3,000 in revenue, and said the paperwork warns the process can take up to three weeks. "This is not necessarily a difficult process if you know what you're doing," Ruiz said.

Ruiz compared Rome's permit structure with neighboring cities. She said Utica offers permits that begin on the day of issuance and run for six months or a year at $100 and $150, respectively, with a three-day processing period. Watertown, she said, charges $150 for a yearly permit that runs May 1 to April 30. By contrast, she said Rome's calendar-year permit (January'December) costs $200, while the city's six-month permit runs July'December and costs $125. "Farmers' markets usually begin in May and run into September," Ruiz said, arguing that a May'October six-month window would better match the local season.

Council members said staff will review the schedule. Councilor Dursley said she obtained a list of 15 peddler applications for 2024 from the clerk's office and that the council's municipal operations committee will discuss permit timing and fees at a future meeting. "We are going to get into the details in what works best for the city of Rome," Dursley said.

Councilor Anderson expressed support for taking a closer look at the fee structure and processing documentation during committee review.

The city clerk's office and the police department perform application verification and a background check, respectively, before permits are finalized. Ruiz offered free assistance to vendors through her website and praised current clerk's office staff as "helpful, knowledgeable, and very respectful." She said she received notice this week that her permit was approved within one week, faster than the three weeks she saw earlier in her vending career.

Councilors did not take immediate action at the April 24 meeting. Dursley said the municipal ops committee will examine other municipalities' approaches and report back at a subsequent council meeting.

The council did not vote on any change to the permit schedule or fees at the April 24 meeting; Councilor Dursley said the item will be considered further at committee.