Future of farmer’s market in doubt
New Hailey event ordinance puts pinch
on produce
By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer
The Hailey City Council is working out the
kinks of a new ordinance governing vendors in the city.
The Hailey Farmer’s Market, which has been
held seasonally on Thursdays for the last 11 years, may be a casualty of the
changes.
Last November, the council stopped issuing
single vendor permits as a result of complaints from some "bricks and mortar"
businesses and difficulties regulating the sale of everything from ice cream to
whirlpool spas on Hailey city streets.
Under the new rules individual vendors
wishing to do business in the city must make arrangements through a bricks and
mortar business or through a special event sponsor.
The council is considering a charge of $75
for two years for special event permits for single entities. Multiple day events
could be charged $500 per day for events held on public property. Under the new
ordinance business activities may spill over onto public property like sidewalks
as long as there are still six feet of access for pedestrian traffic.
On Monday, Mayor Susan McBryant gave the
first public reading of the new special use permit ordinance, which establishes
rules for business owners and special event sponsors, such as the Northern
Rockies Folk Festival.
Business owners or event sponsors must
apply for the new permit if they are considering having outside vendors. Vendors
may lobby permit holders for space to set up booths in association with the
business, but the permit holder must ensure the rules regarding parking and
public safety on the permit are followed by all vendors.
Farmer’s market organizer Mark Cook would
like produce vendors to be able to start selling their goods June 3 to start a
20-week market season, but the city is still between ordinances governing
vendors.
"It is a crucial time for the farmer’s
market," said City Councilman Rick Davis. "(Market season) is coming up pretty
fast."
The council has not yet determined a fee
amount for special use permits, which is the sticking point for the farmer’s
market.
Cook said the city used to block off Croy
Street in front of the Hailey Public Library for the event. Market vendors were
not charged a fee for the use of public property but they were charged $3.15 for
the chance to make a profit.
Vendors paid Cook 8 percent of their
profits, money that went in part to a school meals program called "Food for
Thought." Now each vendor will pay about $40 for the opportunity.
Cook said he got permission from
Sturdevants to hold the market in the stores’ parking lot but the city is not
yet ready to issue the required permit because fees have not yet been set.
McBryant said there is a clause exempting
non-profit groups from permit fees and recommended that Cook pursue that avenue
in the future.
In the interim, the council decided to
issue a temporary permit to allow the farmer’s market to operate in the city
parking lot at the intersection of River and Bullion streets.
No other permit exceptions will be made.
The farmer’s market was given special dispensation because the council views it
as a successful "community enhancement".
The city plans to charge fees for all
events held on public property once a fee scale is set. The interim fee for the
farmer‘s market will be $100 per day for a total of $2000 for the season.
Cook said he did not know if farmer’s
market vendors would still consider Hailey as a viable venue when faced with the
fee.
"We’ll make due and see where it goes,"
Cook said, disappointed that the council did not give the market more support.
"Some city’s hire people like me to run a farmer’s market . . .it is considered
a community asset."