Cairo council adopts EV‑charging and mobile‑vending ordinances, tables peddlers ordinance

The Cairo City Council adopted two ordinances and tabled a third after discussion about public safety, utilities and vendor identification.

City Manager Gainer introduced an electric vehicle charging‑station ordinance intended as a proactive local measure for Level 3 and 4 home/residential chargers, saying the ordinance had been prepared with the fire, police and building officials. The council moved, seconded and adopted the ordinance without recorded opposition.

The council also approved a mobile vending ordinance that creates a designated vendor hotspot behind Robinbury Memorial Library and Davis Park, with restroom access and a vendor fee set at $500 per year and a $250 single‑day permit. Staff said generators would be used initially and they would explore permanent water and sewer hookups; the ordinance exempts vendors with active permits until their 2026 renewal.

A separate peddlers and itinerant merchants ordinance — intended to define door‑to‑door sales and limit those activities to commercial and industrial areas and to set hours from sunrise to sunset — drew questions about identification, fees and language clarity. Council members voted to table that ordinance to allow staff and legal counsel to clarify hours and fee language before returning it to the council.

Council discussion stressed safety for special events and consistency across approvals: several members asked that future event routes be presented to staff and the council in map form before being approved and requested consistent volunteer or police support at high‑risk crossings.

Next steps: staff will finalize the peddlers ordinance language and return with permit fees and precise hours; they will also continue to evaluate infrastructure options for the mobile vending hotspot.