Warsaw City Council tabled a request to approve an itinerant merchant and peddler ordinance on second reading Tuesday night.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner and City Attorney Mike Valentine will review the ordinance and it will be further discussed at the next city council meeting.
The ordinance states the fee for the itinerant merchant and peddler permit would be $100 per merchant directed to the City of Warsaw general fund.
The merchant would be required to complete an application showing the following to the city clerk before license will be issued: a valid photo identification card, proof of a valid Indiana retail merchants certificate and/or a valid county health permit, a detailed inventory and description of merchandise to be offered for sale; a copy of a notice in 10 days before the application has been filed, proof of liability insurance and the application must be verified.
It also states mobile vendors must not stop to sell within 50 feet of an intersection or on any street with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour or greater.
Vendors must provide a trash receptacle for each location and the city of Warsaw reserves the right to revoke any issued license at any time for any reason.
Council woman Diane Quance said she had concerns with the enforcement of the ordinance as presented.
She said how the ordinance is written it doesn't make it clear who has to apply for an itinerant merchant permit.
She said as it is written it could be interpreted a Boy Scout group, school and church fundraiser would be required to apply for the permit.
She also said the current ordinance states non-profits would not have to pay for a permit fee, but would have to carry liability insurance.
"The ordinance is not written to target the audience they wanted it to target," Quance said.
Skinner said the intent was not to hamper not for profit organizations for fundraising purposes, and said he and Valentine will review the ordinance again.
In other business, the council approved a request by Brian Sommers, on behalf of the Patricia H. Sommers Trust, for the city to annex approximately 19.147 acres to be part of the existing Park Ridge Subdivision.
The property will be able to receive city sewer, water and additional utilities with the extension of Nuthatch Drive.
Also during the meeting, Mary Ellen-Rudisel Jordan, Warsaw Community Development Corp. president, said she received an application for a facade grant from a downtown business owner, but the facade grant boundary is bound by the historic district and the request is from someone outside the historic district.
She wondered if it is the city's intent to only meet the needs of those within the historic district or if the intent is to enhance other downtown businesses.
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the boundaries came from a Hyett Palma study the city conducted and the targeted area for the funding was the historic district, and said he thinks the city needs to quantify where the area is.
Councilman Joe Thallemer said he doesn't have a problem with expanding the district, but he would like to know the boundaries. He suggested seeing a map of the historic district the next council meeting.
Mike Rice, Warsaw Fire Department chief, said Warsaw firefighter Kenny Shepherd is retiring from the department after 29 years of service. Shepherd also served as fire chief for 10 years.
An open house will be Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Fire Station 2 on East Center Street.
