New City Vendor Ordinances - City Council & Local Vendors Meet to Discuss Shared Interests and Concerns

City Council Members listen to City Operations and Compliance Auditor, Scot Carcasi, as he presents two new proposed Vendor Ordinances for Food Truck Vendors and Special Event Permits.

On April 30, 2024, the City Council held a special meeting to discuss the proposed new Vendor Ordinances for the City of Del Rio. City Council members were presented with the new ordinance proposals and community members were given the opportunity to voice their opinions to the council.

As special events, vendor markets, and food trucks gain popularity in Del Rio, the city has begun exploring ways to improve upon and better implement vendor permits and regulations in a fair and efficient manner.

With departmental confusion over permit requirements for special events and recent complaints about food vendors on South Main St, city officials sought legal counsel beginning in late 2023, to draft new ordinances that they hope will address both the city’s and vendors' concerns.

City Operations and Compliance Auditor, Scot Carcasi, presented the council with two proposed ordinances for vendors and event coordinators. The first was the proposed Special Events Ordinance which would be a permit that the organizer of an event would be required to obtain in order to hold a special event defined as “a temporary event, gathering, or organized activity, including but not limited to craft shows, street fairs, races, rallies, parades or other similar events or attractions that takes place in part or in whole on city property or interfering with the flow of pedestrian traffic.” This Special Events Permit would only apply to events held on city property or sidewalks and requires blocking off city streets and use of city resources, stressed Carcasi. This ordinance would also impose a $1,000 insurance bond on vendors at events in the case of any damage, harm, or emergency.

The second proposed ordinance presented at the meeting was the Food Truck Ordinance for food truck vendors. The ordinance defines what a mobile food unit is and states that food trucks must maintain their mobility at all times and does not include a stand or a booth. It would require all food truck vendors to obtain a mobile food unit permit and all employees and operators to obtain a food manager’s certificate as opposed to only having a food handler's permit which is the current requirement. The current draft of the new ordinance would also require a permit be obtained for every location that a food truck sells from, and changes to the lengthy, existing application process which includes fingerprinting and multiple forms of photo identification.

Upon concerns raised by city council members and vendors, Carcasi assured those in attendance that the proposed permit application process and fees are not final and meant to be made more attainable and convenient for vendors in the final draft of the ordinance. Both vendors and city council members expressed a desire for a more clear and organized permit process, but shared similar concerns about the vendors’ abilities to conduct business under these proposed new requirements. “We do need to try to give them an opportunity to do business, we want them to do business," stated Council member, JP Sanchez.

Local Vendor, Eduardo Hidalgo of Gordito Style BBQ, presents his concerns over additional fees and permits under the proposed new Food Vendor Permits, to City Council members.

At the end of the meeting vendors were given the opportunity to address the council directly. While many acknowledged the need for more effective enforcement of permit regulations and agreed to comply with the city’s ordinances accordingly, there were concerns about the additional fees and requirements. “I hope that the city council can reconsider some of these requirements and work towards a solution that can help everybody moving forward,” vendor Crystal Torres, told the council during public comments. “A lot of us are just mom and pop businesses, we’re just trying to make ends meet, don’t make it hard for us to continue doing what we love,” Eduardo Hidalgo, food truck vendor, continued.

It’s clear that local vendors are an important part of the fabric of our culture and they hope to continue to be able to serve the community. It is also clear that the city council and local leadership feel just as strongly about keeping small businesses and special events afloat, just with more accountability in following city regulations.

This meeting was the first of many meetings to come with both the city council and the community to ensure that a solution is reached that will benefit the city of Del Rio, its local vendors, and its consumers.