BROKEN BOW – As mobile vendors continue to be a topic of discussion for Broken Bow, the city council will consider significant changes to the ordinances governing those businesses.
City Administrator Dave Schmidt provided the media with a final draft of the new ordinance that will go before the council at its next meeting on May 14.
The measure constitutes a complete rewrite of section 113 of the city’s Municipal Code with help from a community input committee. Schmidt said the proposal is an amalgamation of Broken Bow’s existing rules, combined with elements of Lexington and Kearney’s vendor ordinances.
The council passed an ordinance in February that banned vendors from parking on city property with the exception of Market on the Square and special events. Food trucks have since been setting up in the parking lots of brick-and-mortar businesses that give them permission. The Custer County Ag Society also voted earlier this month to allow trucks to use the fairgrounds for a daily fee.
Vendors would also not be allowed to use city electricity and would need to either use a generator or make other arrangements with the site hosting them. The vendor will also need to provide a trash receptacle that will be emptied regularly and will be responsible for any trash within 100 feet.
A separate ordinance will establish a new schedule of fees for vendors. That is still in a rough draft form but would represent a small price increase.
The public is invited to attend upcoming council meetings to provide comments and input on the proposals.
The ordinances will receive first reading at the May 14 meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Auditorium.
The full final draft of the ordinance and the ROUGH DRAFT fee schedule can be viewed below:
