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City cuts mobile vendor permit fee in half

The City of Cold Lake has agreed their original charge for a mobile vendor permit was too steep. During their regular council meeting on Tuesday, May 8, council unanimously agreed to cut the annual fee in half.
20.news.mobile vendor policy
Council discusses mobile vendor policy, agrees to cut permit fee by 50 per cent.

The City of Cold Lake has agreed their original charge for a mobile vendor permit was too steep.


During their regular council meeting on Tuesday, May 8, council unanimously agreed to cut the annual fee in half.


“A $1,000 fee might not seem like a lot to someone with a brick and mortar business, but to them (mobile vendors), it could be the money they use to put food on the table,” Coun. Kirk Soroka said. “I think the community wants access to these vendors, and I don’t think we should be putting up unnecessary road blocks.”


Coun. Chris Vining agreed, “It’s still pretty fledgling here. We really only have a couple who are regularly operating. From all indications, it has a lot of benefit. What I’m hearing from ratepayers is they want to see that type of choice in the community.”


Now that council have decided to reduce the fee, the policy requires food truck owners to pay $500 annually for a permit, while their counterparts, merchandise and service vendors, will spend $250.


Any food vendor wanting to operate in the city for special events or on a temporary three-day permit, will be required to pay $150. For the same license, a mobile merchandise vendor will pay $75.


Coun. Vicky Lefebvre said, “I don’t mind going half to start, because we can look at this next year.”


Council also discussed the 50-metre buffer zone from any business selling a similar product or service, and whether or not to include the clause in their policy.


“That just basically prevents someone from ending up on your doorstep,” emphasized Coun. Bob Buckle.


If a mobile business has a specific location in mind that would be considered within the buffer zone, they can get written permission from other business owners to operate there.


Coun. Jurgen Grau and Vining didn’t feel it was necessary to have a setback, but in the end, their motion to remove it from the policy was defeated by the rest of council.


“I don’t have a problem with the 50-metres. I think it’s respectful of all of the businesses around,” Lefebvre noted.


According to Buckle, mobile vendors essentially can go wherever they please within the city, so long as they keep the buffer zone and residential areas in mind.


This was one of the reasons why he was okay with having a $1,000 fee for the permit, but eventually agreed to cut it in half, at least for this year.


“You have access to the beach, the parking lot of the Energy Centre, you can go anywhere… So a $1,000 fee isn’t about limiting competition as it’s being fair to everyone out there,” he expressed.


Council felt that prior to a permit being issued, a food truck must first pass a safety codes inspection and fire inspection. These would be conducted on an annual basis at a cost to the business owner.


According to Mayor Craig Copeland, the policy now covers “everything it needs to.”


Under the new policy, mobile vendors will only be allowed to operate between the hours of 7 a.m. and midnight, are required to hold a minimum of $2-million in liability insurance, are permitted to have one sandwich board, must not be blocking access to fire hydrants, and are only allowed to purchase two special event permits within the calendar year.


Council passed the policy with the reduced fee.

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