Aldermen discuss event vendor fees

Special to Wesson News

Tent vendor fees spark discussion at Aldermen meeting.

Do vendors in tents at town events, who pay almost nothing to sell food and products, compete unfairly with brick and mortar businesses?

A question about the fee vendors at the Chamber of Commerce Taco Tuesdays are paying – or not paying -- sparked an intense, but polite discussion about the issue among Wesson Aldermen, Teri Bath, the Chamber president, and other townspeople at the May Aldermen meeting.

Although the Aldermen had approved Taco Tuesdays, with vendors paying the town $25 each, it was discovered the fee was not being collected.  For Alderman Ashley, a local businessman, it seemed he was paying thousands of dollars for business licenses, permits and other fees while the vendors were competing unfairly.  Others argued that Taco Tuesday vendors brought people to town who patronized established local businesses, and the vendors were, in fact, fledgling businesses that could grow into brick and mortar commercial enterprises and boost the local economy.

The discussion ended with an agreement on the need to enforce the $25 vendor fee, and Mayor Shaw promising to come back to a future meeting with a comprehensive recommendation considering other licensing and permit requirements for the Taco Tuesday vendors.

“It was a productive discussion in which folk agreed to disagree with a conclusion that did not involve people with different opinions becoming enemies – something that is all too common today,” Mayor Shaw affirmed.

At the meeting, Aldermen also:

• Received the resignation of Officer Rashaun Tillman through Police Chief Chad O’Quinn.  Previously, the Aldermen at their April had hired two new part-time officers – Aaron Love and Clint Earl – to replace the full-time Rashaun in money-saving action recommended by O’Quinn.

• Approved travel of Alderman and town officials to the annual Mississippi Municipal League conference June 21-July 1 in Biloxi and Town Clerk Angela Hester to the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) at Reno, Nevada, May 14-22. 

Hester’s travel to Nevada prompted a question about how it would be funded, and she explained the an IIMC scholarship covered her conference registration and hotel expenses and she will pay for her air fare.  In the process, she pointed out she will bring back important  learnings to her job.

A question about replacing old water meters at a trailer park prompted Mayor Shaw to observe the town is maintaining budget discipline in the face of “rising costs in many areas.” In the case of the trailer park meters, two master meters will all the individual meters instead of replacements, which require very expensive related software to function.  He also pointed to the Police Department’s decision not to replace Tillman with another full-time officer.