Although the City of Teague had revised their fee schedule this past summer, it was not until January, five months after the fact, that some food vendors took notice.
The new fee schedule, voted in by the Board of Aldermen in August of 2019, included a fee of $25.00 per day for solicitors and vendors. As the ordinance reads, mobile food-vending units are considered as vendors.
Five months after this fee schedule was made, a local citizen approached the City of Teague asking why they were required to pay the $25.00 fee when others were not.
After the initial citizen approached them, a decision was made that the fee should be revisited.
The City quickly began to work contacting the other vendors to make sure everyone complied with the ordinance.
It is important to note that the local police department, not the office employees, enforces ordinances.
Teague City Administrator Theresa Prasil explains that requiring a permit for the Food Vendors that come into Teague, they have to provide their State Health License so The City knows the food is properly stored, prepped and provided.
This is in no way about the local vendors health licensing and practices, but about any that might come through the town that is not known.
Local food trucks on their own personal property, with tie downs, are considered a business under the City of Teague. Instead of the $25.00 fee, they need pay the $50.00 a year for their business license.
A tie-down makes the trailer secure and attached to the property.
Prasil finished with, “The City of Teague is not against food trucks. We are FOR food trucks and want to work with them, and we want them here because it is enjoyed by the community, the variety.”
Further, she explains that, “It’s just that we need to ensure that the proper regulations and they have the proper licensing to ensure that the quality of product and services being given to the public are right, but they’re not paying property tax or anything into the economical growth of our community.”
Owner of Mi Mesa, Isabel Velazquez believes that outside vendors should pay fees, but they could come down a little so outside food trucks could come more often.
Velazquez makes a point of how important it is to support each other in a town like Teague, who she has been a citizen of for 27 years.
She shops local, she lives local and she loves her community, “I’m very happy of my town, my town people.” Velazquez shares.
Mi Mesa is stationed on property right of HWY 84 in Teague, and is considered stationary due to her cement tie downs. This means she pays the $50.00 a year fee, but not the $25.00 per day fee.
Shane McPherson of PJ’s Good Eats feels the $25.00 fee, “Well I think it’s out of line with the rest of Texas. The rest of Texas does something that’s reasonable, like $100.00 or $150.00 dollars a year, and $25.00 a day for me comes out to $6,000.00 a year.” That is an estimated 4 to 5 days a week in Teague.
McPherson is on his own property, but wants to be able to move around during the summer.
He explains that while he has paid fees in other locations; such as in Mexia, Texas where the fee is $100 annually McPherson explains, that large events are different because you have thousands of people around.
He shops local, and pays his property taxes.
Just like Velazquez, “I’m just hoping on Tuesday they do something reasonable. I bought this piece of property in May of last year, and one of the major reasons why I bought it was because I did my homework to find out what was necessary for me to set my food trailer on my own property.”
The Teague Board of Aldermen will be meeting Tuesday, January 21, 2020 and the fee is the first item on the “new business” agenda.
