When the Hollister Farmers Market reopens for the season May 1, food vendors will be paying an adjusted fee for a health permit that should be more amenable to those who don’t sell wares year round.
Staff members from the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency, which oversees Environmental Health, reviewed the current fee structure for the department and presented a proposed ordinance at last week’s county board meeting.
Environmental health staff members are charged with issuing health permits to restaurants and food facilities.
One of the key changes to the permitting fee is for seasonal permits to sell food at the farmers market. Last year, the market manager Tammy Jackson expressed concern that the fees were out of proportion for some vendors who might only come to the market for one month out of the five-month season. The proposed ordinance presented to supervisors included a revised fee schedule that allows vendors to pay $117 for a one to four-month permit, $215 for a five to eight-month permit or $240 for a full-year permit for one certified farmers market site. The fee also allows for a temporary food permit for vendors that serve samples for five to seven days or eight to 25 days, as well as a nonprofit rate.
Darryl Wong, environmental health manager, said the agency adjusted the rate from a flat fee for all vendors.
“We broke it down into monthly fees,” he said.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said he was still concerned that illegal street vendors have not been addressed, while compliant businesses are charged hefty fees.
“You come out and look at them two or three times for 15 minutes to give them a certificate and then you are done,” Botelho said. “You do no code enforcement for people selling off of the street or truck.”
Wong said his staff does respond when it receives complaints about illegal vendors, with an emphasis on those selling products that have the highest potential to make people ill such as prepared foods rather than whole fruits.
“Tamale vendors are an issue for us,” he said.
Supervisor Jerry Muenzer questioned a 50 percent late fee that is included for vendors who do not pay for their permits on time. Wong said the fee was put in place to ensure payment is made in time, but his office generally does a courtesy call before the fee is implemented.
“In general it helps bring it in,” Wong said.
Supervisor Margie Barrios said she would agree to the updated fees if the county could roll out the fees over the course of three to five years.
“To raise these fees 23 percent is really not appropriate,” she said.
Supervisors approved the amended ordinance 3-2, with Barrios and Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz voting against it because they supported a phasing of the fees over a three-year period.
Margie Riopel, a management analyst for the county, explained that San Benito County’s fees are drastically below the cost recovery level and fall behind those of other surrounding counties.
“Only a small portion of the fees are going up,” Riopel said. “This is cost recovery for services that are mandated by the state.”
In Santa Clara, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, the fees for food facilities and food services were 35 40 percent higher than in San Benito County, according to a report that accompanied the agenda item. Other fees were 8 to 25 percent lower than neighboring counties.
To arrive at new fee amounts, the department looked at personnel costs and billable hours to arrive at a cost of $93 an hour for services in environmental health. The fees are adjusted based on that rate and the average time it takes to complete the services required.
