By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Owners of mobile vending units facing a cease and desist deadline made impassioned pleas to the St. Cloud City Council May 26 to give them more time to complete site plans at local businesses to continue operating.

Council members failed to reach a majority to extend the June 13 deadline, which forces mobile vendors to close up unless a site plan to operate at a fixed location is submitted to the city and approved.

The deadline was established after the council passed an ordinance May 12 banning mobile vending in St. Cloud without site plan approval or obtaining permits to operate at special events. June 13 is the end of the 30-day appeal period required for a new ordinance.

Mobile vendors cried foul, stating the deadline would pass before site plans could be approved.

“You don’t really understand how this is going to affect our livelihood,” Sharon Barber, whose family owns BarberQ in front of Rife’s Market, said. “If we get shut down, we can’t go back there. It’s hard to get a business back.”

Dennis Ragsdale, the city’s growth services administrator, said it would “probably be pretty difficult” to have a site plan approved by June 13, adding that mobile vending carts would be considered an “accessory” to an existing business.

“We’re in a bad crisis and we need help,” Jim Chaney, who pays $1,000 a month in rent to operate his barbecue cart in the Tractor Supply parking lot on 13th Street. “We got the bad end of the deal.”

Edgardo “Chino” Ramos, who owns Dogs A La Carte at Car Wash Express near the city limits, said he thinks the city just wants the $300 site plan fee.

“All they want is the money,” he said. “I’ll comply with whatever they want. You just can’t shut me down.”

Ramos said he would have to sell a week’s worth of hot dogs to pay for the site plan.

Councilman Jarom Fertic said he wanted to extend the deadline 90 days to allow vendors to complete the needed paperwork and drawings, but the effort fell short.

Mayor Rebecca Borders described the ordinance as an opportunity for mobile vendors to open in St. Cloud.

“Some of them could have already started (a site plan) and they haven’t yet,” she said.

The city has yet to receive a site plan regarding mobile vending although several vendors met with city staff on the issue, Sandra Ramirez, city spokeswoman, said Friday.