(Atlantic) The Atlantic City Council Wednesday evening approved the first reading of ordinance #1030 amending the code of ordinances by removing portions of Chapter 122 of the Peddlers, Solicitors, Mobile Food Vendors and Transient Merchants and establishing a new Chapter 130 “Mobile Food Vendors”.
City Clerk Barb Barrick said due to the chaos that reigned last summer with the number of mobile food vendors coming into town, the confusion over which ones needed a permit and which ones didn’t, staff decided that the city needed to make the requirement more clear cut.
A vendor does not need a permit if they have a brick and mortar business in the corporate limits of Atlantic and vendors that are catering private events not open to the public. Every mobile food vendor that is open to the public, whether it be at the Farmer’s Market or on a private business parking lot, will be required to obtain a permit. The ordinance also requires that the vendor apply for the permit at least 10 days in advance in order to give police the time to perform their background checks and for the clerk’s office to actually issue the permit. Every mobile food vendor that sold food in Atlantic last summer will get a letter outlining the changes, as well as an application for the permit. Staff would like to see the ordinance approved, published and in place by May 1st.
In other activity, the Council set April 5th as the public hearing date on a proposal to enter into a General Obligation Solid Waste Management Loan Agreement and to Borrow Money Thereunder in a principal amount not to exceed $90,000. City Administrator John Lund explained the city is a member of a 28E organization that operates the Cass County Landfill. The City is required to support the Landfill financially, if the Landfill determines it is necessary. The Landfill has instituted a per-capita fee of $12 per resident to be assessed annually. The amount shall be $85,344, payable in four equal payments over the courts of the fiscal year.
They also set April 5th as the public hearing on the Maximum Tax Dollars.
