Fiscal Note
The City Vending Coordinator estimates that there may be in the range of 12 to 36 rebates or credits issued annually. Each rebate or credit is valued at $20, or a total anticipated reduction of General Fund revenues ranging from $240 to $720 annually.
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SUBSTITUTE Creating Sections 9.13(3)(a)3. and 9.13(3)(d) of the Madison General Ordinances to create a Community Service Rebate for mobile grocery store vendors and other street vendors' license fees.
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DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This ordinance amendment creates two license fee rebates for street vendors operating in an NRT (Neighborhood Resource Team) target neighborhood. One rebate will be available to the operator of a mobile grocery store. Mobile grocery stores, when making sales on the street or sidewalk, must have a Basic Street Vendor license for each person working in the mobile grocery. This amendment would allow the operator to receive a rebate of 10% of the total Basic license fees for every five hours the mobile grocery operates in an NRT neighborhood (whether vending from the street or operating lawfully on private property.) The mobile grocery operator would submit a form showing the number of hours worked per calendar year, verified by an NGT (Neighborhood Guidance Team) leader. The rebate is applied as a credit on the next year's vending license fees, or a refund under limited circumstances.
The second type of rebate created by this ordinance is only available at the discretion of the Mayor's office to licensed food vendors of any type (Basic, Mall/Concourse, Late Night, Camp Randall, etc.) who participate in a city-sponsored event such as "Meet and Eat" in an NRT neighborhood. The same procedures as for the mobile grocery would be used to process this rebate. The ordinance language makes this rebate optional, at the discretion of the Mayor's office.
The definition of "NRT target neighborhood" used in this ordinance is solely for the purpose of this rebate and not any other purpose, and the downtown NRT area(s) would be excluded from this rebate program.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Paragraph 3. entitled "Basic Street Vendor Community Service Rebate" of Subdivision (a) entitled "Basic Street Vendor License Fees and Durations" of Subsection (3) of Section 9.13 entitled "License for Selling on Public Streets" of the Madison General Ordinances is created to read as follows:
"3. Basic Street Vendor Community Service Rebate. Certain vendors may qualify for a community service credit toward future street vending license fees as follows:
a. For every five (5) hours a mobile grocery store as defined in Sec. 9.13(4)(s) is in operation within an NRT (Neighborhood Resource Team) target neighborhood during the calendar year, the vendor is eligible for a ten percent (10%) rebate of fees paid for Basic Street Vendor license(s) purchased for the mobile grocery for the vending season that began in that calendar year, up to a total of one hundred dollars ($100) per Basic license or fifty percent (50%) of the total vending license fees, whichever is greater. The rebate(s) earned will be applied toward the next street vending license(s) purchased by that vendor.
b. Eligible Neighborhoods. An NRT target neighborhood, for purposes of this vending license rebate only, is a neighborhood within a geographical area identified as a focus area on a map maintained by the City for that purpose, and subject to the approval of the Mayor, except that downtown NRT target neighborhoods are not eligible.
c. Rebate Procedure. Eligible vendors may request the license fee rebate by recording the date(s) and hours of operation in an NRT target neighborhood on a form provided by the Street Vending Coordinator. A single form recording all hours for the calendar year, approved by an NGT (Neighborhood Guidance Team) leader of the applicable neighborhood and signed by the vendor, must be filed with the Street Vending Coordinator not later than December 1 of the calendar year for which the rebate is requested. The Vending Coordinator shall apply the rebate as a credit toward future street vending license(s) purchased by the same vendor. The rebate is not transferrable to other vendors. Subject to approval by the Finance Director, the license fee credit shall have no expiration. A vendor may request a refund rather than a credit if the vendor can demonstrate circumstances that satisfy the Street Vending Coordinator and the Mayor that s/he will not be operating as a street vendor in the next vending season and a refund is appropriate. The rebate and refund procedures, including the December 1 request deadline, are subject to approval of the Finance Director."
2. Subdivision (d) entitled "Food Vendor Community Service License Rebate" of Subsection (3) of Section 9.13 entitled "License for Selling on Public Streets" of the Madison General Ordinances is created to read as follows:
"(d) Food Vendor Community Service License Rebate. With the approval of the Mayor, the City may offer a license fee rebate to licensed food vendors who participate in City-sponsored neighborhood events in an NRT target neighborhood, as defined in Sec. 9.13(3)(a)3.b. Participating vendors may be eligible for a rebate of fees paid for street vending license(s) held by the food vendor based on their participation in one event or a series of events. Any rebate(s) earned will be applied toward future street vending license(s) purchased by that vendor, using the rebate procedure in Sec. 9.13(3)(a)3.c. Rebate criteria will be established by the Mayor and made available to participating vendors."