New mobile vendor ordinance discussed Tuesday evening at Rock Springs City Council meeting

Jena Doak, jdoak@4news

October 20, 2021 — The increase in mobile vendors over the past couple of years creates a need for a separate city ordinance. Currently, they fall under the peddler/solicitor ordinance, which doesn’t directly address them.

The October 19 Rock Springs City Council meeting addressed the streamlining process for a separate license for mobile vendors. Rock Springs City Planner Laura Leigh was the first to speak during the public comments period.

“The purpose of the meeting is to gather public input and to gather the council’s input,” Leigh said. She added that any changes council would wish to make to the ordinance would be taken into account.

First, Leigh read the intent of the ordinance, which is to provide regulation for mobile vendors. Then, she stated that they are regulations that already apply to mobile vendors.

Next, she discussed definitions applicable to the new ordinance, including mobile vending court, mobile caterer, mobile vendor, neighborhood mobile vendor, and stationary vendor.

One thing exclusive to the new ordinance is the requirement of a license from the County Health Department, which must now be presented during the application process for a business license. Another change to the current ordinance is the requirement of a mobile vending permit.

Rock Springs Mayor Timothy Kaumo invited the public to speak, and several mobile vendors addressed their concerns and questions to the council.

One such vender was concerned about getting signatures of business owners in order to park on their property. He wanted to know if receiving a cell phone text would qualify as receiving a property owner’s signature. Mayor Kaumo confirmed that it would.

Another question concerned regulation and whether they are expected to regulate themselves, which Kaumo affirmed.

One vendor, who operates an ice cream truck, asked whether she could work past 8:00 p.m. during the summer. The current ordinance specifies 8:00 p.m. as the time for mobile vendors to close. Kaumo responded that they would change the language in the ordinance to allow her to work later during summers.

“Normally, we start down these paths because we’ve had some antiquated ordinances on the books that don’t meet today’s needs, and by the number of mobile food vendors that we see out there, we needed to create something that made sense,” Kaumo said. “But we wanted to do that with the input of you who are working in that world.”

Tuesday evening was the first reading of the ordinance. Two other readings will follow at the next two City Council meetings, wherein the public may again address the council.