Fees set for special events, food trucks in Uhrichsville
UHRICHSVILLE (WTUZ/WJER) (July 12, 2024) – Mayor Jim Zucal is standing behind a permit fee that organizers of the bi-weekly farmer’s market downtown say is burdensome and excessive.
During Thursday’s city council meeting, members approved the permit application for special events requiring street closures. There’s a non-refundable $150 application fee that Zucal says is comparable to what’s in place in other communities.
“Council at one point, if I may, actually talked about $250. In line with other communities, I think this is kind of a moot point now things are functioning well as far as I’m concerned, but if you look at other communities, whether it’s locally, we tried to do comparable size, Cambridge, St. Clairsville, Marysville, so I think we’re right in the wheelhouse.”
Uhrichsville Farmer’s Market co-founder Whitney Manson was disappointed.
Uhrichville’s mayor is standing behind a permit fee that organizers of the bi-weekly farmer’s market downtown say is burdensome and excessive.
During Thursday’s city council meeting, members approved the permit application for special events requiring street closures. There’s a non-refundable $150 application fee that Mayor Jim Zucal says is comparable to what’s in place in other communities.
“Council at one point, if I may, actually talked about $250. In line with other communities, I think this is kind of a moot point now things are functioning well as far as I’m concerned, but if you look at other communities, whether it’s locally, we tried to do comparable size, Cambridge, St. Clairsville, Marysville, so I think we’re right in the wheelhouse.”
Uhrichsville Farmer’s Market co-founder Whitney Manson was disappointed.
“On city property, the city needs to know what is happening, what is going on. That makes sense. What we requested was that the fee be reasonable and fair, and factor such as the location where we are in out county, our poverty level, our population, comparing to cities of similar size and what they do for their special events, what their application looks like, and what’s their permit fee.”
Council on Thursday also approved a separate permit application and fees for food trucks operating within the city. Manson says several have already dropped out of the market.
“The food industry is a brutal industry to be in. The food trucks that have backed out are just now starting. While some might see that as a nominal fee, when you are a business owner you have all these overhead costs and if you are just starting every dollar counts, and so those fees quickly add up.”
The organization is seeking donations and sponsorships to cover the $1,200 in additional fees for the eight markets remaining this season.