Friday, June 13, 2003

Roadside vending curtailed in Fulton

At its June 4 meeting, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution proposed by Vice Chairman William "Bill" Edwards to enact a moratorium on roadside vending permits in South Fulton.

The moratorium will extend approximately 90 days through September 3.

During the interim, the Department of Environment & Community Development will develop proposed amendments to the Fulton County Zoning Resolution to improve guidelines for roadside vending.

Currently, many roadside vendors do not obtain required permits, or they use the roadside vending permit as a loophole to avoid complying with the County's Occupational Tax Certificate Ordinance. In addition, these vendors compete unfairly with properly licensed businesses.

"Outdoor vendors have become a problem in South Fulton. This resolution gives us an opportunity to address those problems, and offers a fair solution for all business ventures," said Edwards.

The area affected by the resolution includes all portions of unincorporated Fulton County located south of I-20.