The Senoia City Council at the April 5 meeting took no action after a discussion on establishing regulations allowing street vendors. The council was opposed to those operations competing with the city’s established businesses.
City Administrator Richard Ferry said the topic surfaced when the city began receiving inquiries about having food vendors and horse-drawn carriages in and around the downtown area. Ferry said that, as a consequence of those inquiries, he needed guidance from the council on the matter.
City attorney Drew Whalen said current city codes neither actually address nor eliminate the topic, adding that such activities should not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
Mayor Robert Belisle during the discussion noted the city’s prerogative and responsibility to set any needed guidelines pertaining to vendor activities if the council decided to move ahead with the idea.
The consensus of the council, including Belisle, what that they did not want direct competition with existing city businesses.
Suzanne Helfman with the Downtown Development Authority agreed, saying, “I think temporary vendors and tents would not be what we want to accomplish.”
The brief discussion ended with no action taken.
