HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-11-16,Thompson, Mobile Vending, Public CommentMayor Taylor and Commissioners;
Food trucks do provide tangible benefits to the community. Creating a nice 'vibe' at appropriate
venues.
My concern is that by using rent-free city property for personal business venture, is not fair to commercial food service kitchen owners/operators.
A business makes a choice between building a kitchen ( approvals, inspections, large fixed
equipment costs, regulatory upgrades etc) or patron seating.
If the kitchen component is off-loaded to a public city alley/street. Who benefits?
-The business owner has increased seating revenue -city residents lose short term alley/street parking
-Garbage disposal is paid by downtown business owners
-sidewalk benches are used by food truck customers and not available for customers of tax
paying downtown business owners.
Are my taxes stabilized as a result of non-taxed food sales, on "free-use" of public property at
prime downtown locations ?
"mobile kitchen" on public property:
One approach may be to simply require a mobile business license which would be the equivalent cost for property taxes for similar sized and location business, and estimated square foot of
seating to serve X number of customers. This license cost would also include contribution to
Downtown Business district.
"mobile kitchen" on private property: This is simply an inexpensive way to get around the cost of a kitchen on premises and meeting
all the additional building/health/fire code requirements.
Mobile kitchen permit license should reflect, at minimum, the dollar cost of lost property taxes.
Mobile stores: Clothing, outdoor gear, bike rental business etc would require similar license fee for replacement
of property tax revenue if similar sized business was in a privately owned building.
This is a complicated issue, but we must be fair to the many business owners who struggle to keep their downtown businesses going. Mobile business simply provides a way for their owners
to operate in a smaller space than typical bricks and mortar business, but they must pay their fair
share to use public property for personal gain.
thank you for your efforts; George Thompson
12 Hill St, Bozeman