BROKEN BOW – A pair of mobile food vendors pushed back on portions of Broken Bow’s proposed regulations changes during Tuesday’s City Council Meeting.
Tim and Mishayla Freburg of Gothenburg are co-owners of Tropical Sno. Tim cautioned the council that as currently written the proposed ordinance could potentially make Broken Bow become known among mobile vendors as a town that is difficult to work with.
Freburg argued that some of the provisions related to handling trash disposal were overly stringent and that the ban on parking overnight could cause headaches for Market on the Square and special events such as the Spirit of the Sandhills softball tournament. He also said the proposed rules would needlessly complicate the application process.
Mayor Rod Sonnichsen and City Administrator David Schmidt responded that the rules do allow for parking with city permission and communication with an event coordinator. They also offered clarification on some sections that could be worded differently.
Mishayla Freburg said she felt the new proposed fee schedule is out of line with the services provided by the city. She said the fees seem to be aimed at deterring people from using the city square and that they would encourage vendors to park outside the city limits where the ordinances would not apply.
Both Freburgs said the proposed $25 per day fee for electricity is far too high and would make it much more cost effective to use their own generator, which could lead to noise concerns.
During the previous council meeting there was a suggestion of upgrading the electrical capacity of the square, which currently struggles to handle the load during Market on the Square. Schmidt said that he had discussed the issue with the Electrical Superintendent and they had arrived at a rough cost estimate of $20,000 to $30,000 to do the upgrades that would be needed.
The council is scheduled to give final reading to the proposed ordinances at its June 11 meeting. Anyone with questions, comments, concerns or suggestions is strongly encouraged to contact any member of the council before then.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved a lot split for property owned by Arrow Seed on the north side of Highway 2 just west of V-Bar Trailer Sales. The southern half of the lot will be sold to V-Bar to be used for trailer parking.
The council also approved the appointment of LeeAnn Taylor as the new City Treasurer.
