Clifton Park changes food truck fee | News

The City Council introduced a bill on Monday that would reduce the fee for a “traveling vendor license” from the current $300 per day to $25 per day or $100 per year. The proposal calls for a $10 fee if an inspection is required.

Supervisor Phil Barrett called the proposal an “acceptable solution” to what he said was a “very high fee” that came to light in recent weeks after several food truck operators raised concerns about the cost of doing business in the city.

The current legislation was first passed in 1988 and amended in 2006 to regulate “the conduct and business practices of itinerant traders” throughout Clifton Park.

The bill would require traders to submit a business license or registration with the New York State Department of State and proof of $100,000 in liability insurance before obtaining a traveling trader license.

The new fee structure will also be retroactive to July 1. This means that any operator who paid the current fee between July 1 and the law’s entry into force will receive a refund under the law.

“You pay the old fee, but after the refund you pay the new fee, which is substantially lower,” Barrett said. “This was the best and fairest way we could find to make sure we didn’t put anyone in a difficult position.”