November 17, 2022 |
Food trucks must now pick up the check if they want to do business in Saratoga.
Ordinance 865, Saratoga’s statute for licensing mobile food vendors has passed on third reading. During Tuesday’s town council meeting, Councilman Jon Nelson motioned to have his mobile vending ordinance enacted into law.
Ordinance 865, or “an ordinance of the Town of Saratoga, Carbon County, Wyoming, amending title 5 of the town of Saratoga municipal code regulating mobile vending within the town of Saratoga and to provide an effective date,” is the town’s way of keeping track of who comes into Saratoga to do business.
The ordinance goes on to state, “every person desiring a mobile vending license shall submit a completed mobile vending application to the town clerk’s office.” Councilman Nelson read the license, fee, expiration, and annual renewal section of the ordinance at the November 1st town hall meeting.
Pictured above: File photo of food truck.
While the ordinance was being discussed, the $50 fee was added to cover administration costs associated with reviewing and issuing permits. There is a maximum wait of 14 days before the town decides whether to issue the license or not.
Nelson made it clear to vendors at the farmers market they would be exempt from the license under the Wyoming Food Freedom Act. Other exemptions include civic and non-profit organizations, kids selling lemonade and other “flavored drink mixes,” school events, and private parties.
Mobile vendors are required to have commercial general liability insurance and all valid licenses to provide service. They must be inspected by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Also, an employee of the vendor must always be on-site, in case their truck, or equipment, needs to be moved. Nelson continued with the regulations and requirements.
Changes were proposed during the second reading of the ordinance on November 1st. Most of the alterations were minor, such as adding punctuation or subtracting words, but there was discussion about limiting mobile vending on private property adjacent to a school. The councilmembers were confused as to why being close to a school zone would prevent someone from having a food truck on their property. Councilman Ron Hutchins explained vendors can create crowds that could block school buses.
The council approved the changes, and the ordinance was sent out for a third reading at Tuesday’s meeting. Since nothing else was altered, the reading was skipped, and the statute was approved.
Any mobile vendor, be it food or otherwise, operating in Saratoga must now apply and pay for a license before they are permitted to do business.
