OTHELLO — In the age of mobile businesses and part-time side gigs, Othello city officials are working to ensure proper city regulation while promoting entrepreneurship.

Othello City Council members passed an ordinance in April to regulate food truck operation and considered pushcart regulations at the regular council meeting Tuesday. 

Community Development Director Anne Henning said both food truck and pushcart vendors are setting up shop in Othello, and city officials wanted to establish a framework for their operations. 

“There are existing vendors around town,” she said.

Previous business regulations didn’t fit those vendors.

City officials don’t want to shut down the opportunity provided by pushcarts or food trucks, she said.

“A pushcart, especially, is a way to start a business with less capital than a food truck or a building,” Henning said.

As a result, the Othello Planning Commission was asked to look at the issue and come up with some recommendations.

Under the ordinance, pushcart vendors will have to buy an annual business license, and each vendor also will be required to have a vendor license. Business licenses are $80 per year; there’s no charge for the vendor license. Vendors selling food must comply with Adams County Health Department regulations. They must carry $1 million in liability insurance. 

Vendors must provide a list of what they plan to sell, and of everybody who will be selling as part of the business. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 30 minutes after sunset. Any signs must be attached to the cart, although vendors can apply for a free-standing sign. 

Vendors using private property or city right-of-way must provide written permission showing they’re allowed to be there, according to the ordinance. Vendors must make provisions for picking up and disposing of any trash the business generates. 

The ordinance also includes provisions for the size of the pushcart, and where and how they can be set up to avoid blocking sidewalks. They are restricted to non-residential zones.

City parks will be subject to restrictions, and vendors can’t set up shop with 500 feet of a city-authorized special event. There are restricted zones around schools, restaurants and other businesses that sell merchandise similar to what’s on the pushcart.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected]. 

Pushcart basics: 

Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 30 minutes after sunset
Business license required, $80.
Vendor license required at no charge
Any food vendor must meet Adams County Health Department regulations