At the Monday night Town Council meeting, members heard from the town’s Code Enforcement Officer, Richard Canuel, on making an amendment to the ordinance regarding a reduction in license fees for itinerant vendors (vendors who are in town temporarily).
Canuel proposed to the Council that the Town of Londonderry reduce their fees and provide the option for vendors to obtain a seasonal license that would be a 90-Day license.
This license would be used to accommodate vendors that operate in the summer months. According to Canuel, this will also be useful to vendors who come into the office every 30 days to renew their licenses.
Canuel, who is also the Chief Building Inspector for the town, said that this amendment will help make their vendor licenses more “user friendly”, especially for the smaller businesses that operate at a low-profit margin. This was the first reading of this amendment and there will be a public hearing at the next Town Council meeting scheduled for Monday, June 18.
Councilor Ted Combes asked Canuel which businesses would be affected by these new licenses.
“I foresee these businesses being those that operate from a stationary location for an extended period of time, mainly our food vendors,” Canuel said. Under current regulations, food truck vendors would be required to obtain a new license every 30 days. Under new regulations, they would receive a 90-day permit at a reduced price.
Councilor Tom Dolan asked Canuel if door-to-door salespeople are required to have a permit.
Canuel said that it is a requirement for them to have a permit on them, and that members of the public are allowed to ask to see their license if they are suspicious.
The motion was made to waive the first reading of the ordinance and the second reading will be at the next Town Council meeting along with the public hearing on this issue scheduled for June 18, where the council will be looking to adopt this new amendment to the ordinance.