The Boardman City Council plans to hold workshops to examine the issue of mobile vendors in the city.
At a July 29 special meeting, the council heard from citizens concerned about issues arising from mobile vendors.
The owners of the carwash and laundromat in Boardman, Steve Doherty and Don Russell, had written a letter to the council asking for them to look into problems arising from the mobile vendors located directly across the street from their businesses on Main Street.
The two men said they have experienced mobile vendors dumping their tanks into the car wash drains, semi-trucks blocking the entrance to their businesses to walk across the street to the mobile vendors and mobile vendors’ customers using their bathroom facilities at the laundromat.
Doherty and Russell asked the council to consider rules requiring parking spaces, and restroom facilities for the mobile vendors to alleviate some of the problems.
Many of Boardman’s mobile vendors came to the meeting. Councilor David Jones is the owner of the property where many of the mobile vendors are located in Boardman. He recused himself from the council in order discussion as a citizen. Jones said he had researched the parking requirements and found that no more than four parking spaces per vendor is required in other areas. He said he would be willing to put in portable restrooms. He feels the semi-truck parking issues would be alleviated if traffic citations were issued to those drivers. He said if the city were to implement rules regarding mobile vendors, he said it would make it harder for additional mobile vendors to locate in Boardman.
Mayor Sandy Toms said the city does not have a city code which addresses mobile vendors at this time. The city council has been reviewing other cities’ ordinances regarding the matter to see about drafting a similar ordinance for Boardman and plans to hold workshop sessions to further discuss the issue. No dates have been set.
In other city business, the council vacated an unused utility easement on property where a new hotel will be located on S.E. Front Street. The council also heard a presentation regarding the upcoming 2019 Census.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Boardman City Council Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. at Boardman City Hall.
