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Council hears staff plan to relax mobile-vendor limits and simplify fees
Summary
Staff proposed removing a 10-day monthly limit on mobile-vendor permits, allowing up to two vendors per block face without a street closure, and switching to a flat $25 per-permit fee; council asked about sponsor requirements, electricity deposits and caps on spaces.
City staff proposed changes to Caspers mobile-vendor permit rules intended to make temporary vending simpler for event operators and permit applicants. The main elements presented were removing the 10-day-per-month cap for a given block face, allowing two vendors on a block face (one trailer and one trailer, effectively one per side) without a street closure, and converting the fee from $25 per parking space to a flat $25 per permit.
A staff presenter said the permit is not heavily used today and that the recommended adjustments would increase flexibility while still requiring a business sponsor within 30 feet of the vending location. "The ordinance specifically says you have to have a sponsor, business sponsor within 30 feet," staff said; that sponsor requirement is not proposed to change.
Councilors questioned practical details: how many parking spaces a permit can use, caps on diagonal and parallel spaces, and the $300 electricity deposit that staff said sometimes discourages food-truck operators. Staff explained the deposit is refundable and intended to cover potential electrical issues; most food trucks also use generators.
Staff also said any more than two vendors per block face would require a street closure and special-event permitting. Council did not vote on an ordinance at the work session; staff said if council approves the concept, staff will prepare ordinance language for a formal change.
