Local food truck vendors will likely get a break on their annual license fees while those from other areas will pay the full fee, Iola council members said at their meeting Monday night.
A special committee was formed in early April to discuss recommended changes to the city’s ordinance regarding food trucks. The committee discovered other communities have a much lower transient business permit fee than Iola’s.
“We were trying to help out local brick-and-mortars because the way our ordinance reads right now — Sam & Louie’s, Wild Bloom, or the snow cone business would all have to pay the $250 fee for six months,” said council member Joelle Shallah. “We were trying to get a benefit for them since they are already paying taxes to Allen County and the city.”
Currently, a six-month permit fee of $250 is the only option available.
After April’s meeting, the committee recommended a tier-structured fee scale: $25 for a three-day permit; $50 for 30 days; $250 for six months; and $400 for a calendar year. A $10 application fee would be added to each of those costs and all applications must include a signed release from the property owner.
How to implement the fee schedule — whether on a revolving year basis, as opposed to a calendar year — is still being discussed.
IN OTHER NEWS, council members discussed a national fitness campaign grant that provides for the installation of outdoor workout equipment in communities. City staff have been working with a partnership development manager at National Fitness Campaign to potentially bring a project to Iola.
“We were approached a couple months ago by this campaign about doing an outdoor fitness center,” said Schinstock. “It’s got basically the same floor tiles our basketball court has, but it doesn’t have any underlayment.” Schinstock noted the campaign is partnered with Blue Cross & Blue Shield. “I think it’s a good project and it would be used,” he added.
City administration intends to submit a non-binding grant application for $50,000 worth of funding from the agency. If awarded, there are two locations that have been vetted by both city staff and the National Fitness Campaign. The first is adjacent to the Prairie Spirit Trail south of U.S. 54 Highway. The second is at the northwest corner of Bruner Street and South State Street.
The two fitness center size options are 38’X38’ or 38’X72’. The city’s cost portion of the smaller option is in the range of $150,000 to $175,000 after the grant is applied. The larger size would have a cost of $190,000 to $236,000 after the grant is applied. Schinstock explained the funding source for the outdoor fitness center would be from the sales tax fund.
If Iola is awarded the grant, city staff will be back at a future meeting seeking approval to move forward.
