City seeks final input on transient business

The City of Sisters is seeking final community input as it wraps up a months-long review of ordinances that govern transient merchants and public events. These ordinances affect non-permanent merchants who locate within city limits.

City council has scheduled a public hearing on this topic during its regular evening meeting on Thursday, October 22. Local residents and business-owners are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts. Some notable changes are being considered, said Mayor Chris Frye, so the City has been seeking substantial input on this issue.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Items under consideration include the level of restrictions that should or should not be placed on transient merchants and whether these uses should or should not be restricted to private or public property. Whether or not any transient merchants should be allowed to set up during "city-wide" events also is being considered. These events currently include the Sisters Rodeo, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, the Sisters Folk Festival and the Sisters Harvest Faire.

Specific issues being discussed include how many days a merchant should be allowed to use a temporary location and how many merchants should be allowed to group together on a single property. Application and/or daily-use fees also might be adjusted.

The current proposed draft of the ordinances requires transient merchants to locate on improved property. Improvements required include: curbs, gutters, sidewalks and on-street parking, water, sewer and electric service, and on-site access to permanent restrooms.

Through these code changes, the council seeks to achieve multiple goals, Frye said. These include: Closing loopholes in the current code; simplifying the code language; creating a vibrant balance between economic vitality and livability; capitalizing on Sisters' appeal, and honoring the revitalized look of Sisters' "gateway" corridor along Cascade Avenue.

City Council has been discussing these ordinance changes for several months in public meetings and with community members. A decision-point is near, so the council wants to make sure all opinions have been taken into account before that final decision, Frye said.

The Council is slated to vote on the ordinances in November and wants to have the revised codes fully in place by January 1 so that there is certainty for vendors as they begin reserving dates for 2016. For more information contact Sisters Mayor Chris Frye, 503-577-7185, [email protected] or Finance Director Lynne Fujita-Conrads, 541-323-5222, [email protected]