Vending Oversight Committee amends licensing ordinance for street vendors
By Katie Scheidt | Jan. 28, 2016The Vending Oversight Committee met at the Dane County Municipal Building Wednesday evening to amend a series of licensing fees ordinances for downtown street vendors. The first series of amended ordinances, which passed unanimously, creates what is known as an Umbrella Basic Street Vendor License, and gives vending businesses the option to register an unlimited number of workers with city government for $450 per year. According to District 4 Alder and amendment sponsor Mike Verveer, the current ordinance requires a license fee be paid for any worker interacting with the public, whether it be handling cash or delivering food. As stated in the ordinance’s legislative draft, the license fee is currently $150 per year on top of any necessary specialty licenses, which includes food vending and arts and crafts. According to Verveer, the new amendment gives vendors the option to pay one universal fee to cover all workers, instead of requiring separate licenses. In addition to the umbrella amendment, the committee unanimously voted to increase a series of street vending fees. The vending fees, according to Verveer, serve a variety of purposes including “funding to the Public Health Department for important health inspections [as well as] funding for downtown programming.” The amendments to this ordinance would increase fees for vendors near State Street and Capitol Square from an annual $850 to $1000.
