City back to square one with street vendor rules

By LISA HOBBS Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

The first street vendor ordinance proposed by the city made it nearly impossible for vendors like ?The Hot Dog Man? Brian Curran to operate downtown.

In what seems to have more twists and turns than a suspense novel, the street vending ordinance has been sent to a new ad hoc committee by McMinnville?s Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The decision came after some aldermen voiced their disapproval to the ordinance drafted by the previous ad hoc committee.

A large portion of the previous ordinance deals with a person?s moral reputation, which seems to be one of the major concerns from aldermen.

?I don?t think we should be investigating that,? said Alderman Bobby Kirby. ?Who?s to say who can serve a cup of coffee? To me that?s very subjective. Who?s going to make that call? Who?s to say that I?m morally capable of doing that? I have a problem with it being so in-depth and intrusive.?

As it is, the proposed ordinance is so complicated it would be almost impossible for anyone to qualify to be a street vendor downtown. After passing the moral requirements, a vendor would have to pass the monetary requirements ? including $250 to cover the background check, a $1,000 bond payment for the city to keep on file, and $1 million worth of insurance.

?There has to be some way to simplify this,? said Aldermen Donald Hillis. ?I think it?s got to be simple. I know you all did a lot of work but it?s got to be more simple than that.?

Even Alderman Jimmy Haley had a problem with the proposed ordinance that he helped put together.

?I thought we were trying to create an ambiance with food vending on the square,? Haley said. ?When I saw this final copy, we could have vendors selling fake Ray-Ban sunglasses or fake Gucci purses downtown. I just don?t know.?

After some words back and forth about the ordinance, Vice Mayor Patti Nunley made a motion to send the ordinance to a new ad hoc committee, one made up of those aldermen who were not on the original committee. ?For the alterations they think need to be made,? said Nunley.

?I?ll accept that challenge and I?ll be the chairman,? Hillis said. ?We?ll make it simple I promise you. We?ll have something by the next official board meeting,? added Hillis, and the motion was passed.

The new ad hoc committee is going to have Hillis as chairman as well as Kirby and Alderman Rick Barnes.

?Good luck,? warned Nunley.