Farmers' Markets Update - Legislation

This is a message from Jackie Farrell, organizer of the Westside Farmers Market. It is of major significance to that and other area markets. The current laws are cost-prohibitive for ready-to-eat food vendors. Please consider and do what you can. Thanks.

I am copying a message that I sent out last week to other markets and supporters regarding temporary food vending licenses for farmers markets. I want you to think about coming out and supporting us. We need as many people as possible to come and sit at the Human Services Committee meeting on Tuesday at Legislature, 4th floor, County Office Building. Yes, that really is all you have to do is sit there, and it isn't very long, maybe 20 minutes - at most one hour, but you don't have to stay for the whole meeting. Just be sure you come by 6:00

If you want to speak, call me first, as we might develop a strategy. I am at 436-8999, but need to have this information by Monday.

Thanks for considering this. Hope to see you on Tuesday evening.

Here is the copy of what I sent out, it just gives you a general overview:

Ok so we have been working diligently on trying to change guidelines for the temporary food license to better reflect the needs of farmers markets.

I have spoken to most of you regarding this issue. The markets that seem to have taken an active role in this are Brighton, SouthWedge, and Westside. We have gone to two committee meetings of the County Legislature, one full body meeting, one private meeting with key people. The proposal has been presented, thrown out, presented again, revised, discussed, and more. It will be amended and presented once again for the Human Services Committee next Tuesday night. It might be our last shot. We need a lot of support!!!!!!

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR - COME TO THE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING ON TUESDAY, MAY 25, 6:00, 4th floor of County Office Building

If you are willing to speak, call me and I can give you more details. We would like to see more markets represented, and more speakers. If you don't want to speak, fine, come anyway. We need supporters sitting in the chairs, so that they know this is important to more than just a few of us.

If we are successful, our markets will have the capability of doing cooking demos, opening space up to prepared food vendors, sharing dinner together that we bought at the market. And all of this for a nominal fee, rather than the $115. every 2 weeks that is demanded in present legislation.

Call me or email me for more information, or contact Sue Gardner Smith. Please plan to come on Tuesday - BE EARLY

Also - PLEASE CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR, OR ANY LEGISLATOR YOU KNOW OR ARE WILLING TO CALL, ESPECIALLY THE REPUBLICANS -BEFORE TUESDAY EVENING, 5/25 - this is more important than you think

And spread the word - let's fill the seats at the Committee meeting - by the way, the meetings are short. You won't be there more than one hour.

Thanks so much
Jackie Farrell
Westside Farmers Market

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Permalink Reply by John Boutet on May 26, 2010 at 3:53am

Hi,
I've attached below an update from Jackie Farrell reviewing today's events at the Human Services Committee of the County Legislature. I'm involved in this strictly as a market customer and resident who cares about the community. After I had read the above post that Jackie had sent out Saturday the 22nd on the19thward@yahoogroups list I had forward it to our Melrose/Rugby/Woodbine Block Group recommending people call and/or email the Monroe County Legislators who are listed at http://www.monroecounty.gov/legislature-legislators.php and I also urged them to come to the meeting. I left phone messages for several Legislators Monday night and sent email messages to all but the two who don't list an address. I heard back from 5 legislators. All responses were from Democrats and all were in favor of reducing the fee to a level that allows vendors to participate profitably. However, the events at today's Human Services Committee meeting which I attended suggest that we still have a lot of work to do and we need to do it fast. I think it is important to get input to all the Legislator, particularly the Republicans, from many ward residents and Farmer's Market customers. They have heard a lot from vendors and the farmers market organizers. It is important they hear from the public who will get a quality of life improvement from a thriving Farmers Market. If you know friends in other districts who can contact Legislators that is important also. Willie Lightfoot has been working his tail off for us in the 19th Ward on this issue. It is the other District Legislators we need to work on. Jackie's review should go a long way to giving you the numbers you need to start talking to Legislators and there are several people who can provide more answers if you ask questions.
Thanks,
John

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From Jackie Farrell:

Okay - so we spoke before the Human Services Committee tonight. This was our third time at this committee meeting, but the first time that we were actually on the agenda. If you have ever been to a meeting for the County Legislature you know that you can speak before the meeting begins, but cannot contribute to the actual meeting. A little bit of background - you know that what we are fighting is the cost of the temporary food service permits- they are cost prohibitive for farmers markets. The County Health Dept advised the County Legislature that they would be willing to reduce the fees for markets to $450.00 per season. That means that a prepared food vendor who wants to sell at a market, having already paid their restaurant/caterer fees, and their food handling permit fees to the County Health Dept, needs to pay another $450.00 to the County Health Dept in order to sell at a market 1 day per week throughout the market season! This fee is still cost prohibitive! Their arguments do not hold up. The Health Dept says they will need to do more inspections, and this will cost them more money. They also said that they inspect each permit approximately 1x/year. $450.00 for 1x/yr? A full service restaurant pays less for an entire year of food service.

Our proposal asks that markets pay no more than $150.00 per season for a food service permit. We have done the homework - some counties in NYS ( at least 21) pay $30.00 for the same permit. For my market, even $150.00 could be cost prohibitive. The fact is that the County will receive more revenue from this $150.00 per prepared food vendor per season than they have ever received before. And in fact, sales tax revenues will increase.

We are discouraged, but our discouragement is only temporary. We will wake up tomorrow refreshed and re-energized, and in fact we will appear at the Ways and Means Committee Meeting tomorrow night (Wednesday) (I guess Wed is actually upon me as I write this). The Ways and Means Committee is about the budget, and maybe they will be interested in what we have to say. Silly us, thinking that the Human Services Committee, dealing with the health of our community, would be interested in the survival of farmers markets.

We welcome anyone who is interested to join us Wednesday at 6:00, 4th floor, County Office Building. If you choose to speak, please call 753-1950 to sign up. You only have 2 minutes. Meetings tend to be short, so don't expect to spend the evening there. Sitting in at the meeting, whether one speaks or not, lends a good amount of support. If you can't attend the meeting, please call your Legislator, or someone else's, and speak out on this issue.

For some of our small markets, prepared foods are very important to the survival of the markets.

Thanks for staying tuned in.
Call me or send me an email if you want more information.
Jackie Farrell
436-8999
PS - Thanks to everyone who came out to support us tonight. It felt good.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on June 3, 2010 at 10:21pm

URGENT! Call or mail your legislator! Before Tuesday!
From Jackie Farrell

OPENING DAY IS JUNE 22 - HOPE EVERYONE CAN COME - MORE DETAILS SOON

And now - another invitation:

I wish it was a party, but it is not. The gathering will be at the County Legislature on Tuesday, June 8, 6:00, 4th floor, County Office Bldg on W. Main.

So the update - As you know we went back to the Human Services Committee last week, and argued once again to bring the cost of temporary food service permits regarding farmers markets down to a maximum of $150.00/prepared food vendor/season. They did not agree, and in fact passed a proposal that will lower the fees to $450. We all know of course that the $450.00 is still unrealistic. We left disappointed at the very least.

On Wednesday we went to Ways and Means Committee, asking them to amend the proposal, and letting them know that the $150.00 fee would bring them more money than they have received in the past, through vendor fees, and sales tax collection. They rubber stamped the $450. proposal, saying it was not their place to amend a proposal brought to them by another committee.

The only possibility for amendment at this point is Tuesday night.
We need speakers, we need people who will simply sit and show support, but most of all we need everyone to call their Legislator.

If you have not yet done this, call now. If you have called, call again. Know that the Republican Legislators will tell you it is not legal within county law to lower these fees any more. That is simply not true. Some counties in the State (21) are paying only $30. for the entire market season. They will also tell you that the Health Dept has set the fee in order to pay personnel to do more inspections. Both arguments are lame.

The Health Dept, answering a question on the floor, stated that they inspect each food establishment 1x/yr. Also, just for the record, a full service restaurant, serving food 365 days of the year pays between $170. and $370. for a health permit. If we break that down into days, a restaurant open 365 days would be paying between $.47 and $1.03 per day. At $450.00 per market season, a vendor would be paying $20.45 per day for 22 days at a market. Keep in mind these vendors are also paying the restaurant/catering permit fees to the Health Dept., for their full service establishments.

Our market shoppers want food samples, cooking demos, and prepared foods to eat at the market, or for 'take-out'. It is a simple request to the county, We need to give this one more shot. If it does not get changed on Tuesday, we can be sure that we will have to live with the $450.00 until we convince the State of NY to mandate a lower fee, and a simpler application process. It has been a long difficult trial with the county. I can't imagine how much time it would take to change NYS law.

PLEASE - CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR, OR A LEGISLATOR IN ANOTHER DISTRICT (Willie Lightfoot is on our side, and in fact drafted the original proposal for lowering fees) BEFORE TUESDAY - TELL HIM/HER THAT YOU SUPPORT THE LOWERING OF FEES FOR TEMPORARY FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS TO A MAX OF $150.00 PER SEASON - ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT IS NOT AFFORDABLE TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WILL SELL PREPARED FOODS AT FARMERS MARKETS.

Here is the link www.monroecounty.gov/legislature

Please spread the word to others. We need a lot of support NOW.

Once again, thanks for the support. Hopefully we can walk away from Tuesday's meeting rejoicing for small business, for farmers, for markets, for shoppers, for community. Maybe I will see you there, and we can rejoice together.

Jackie Farrell
Westside Farmers Market

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on June 4, 2010 at 12:06am

I have written to Legislators and Maggie Brooks. Please add your support, as this is a vital local link for food for the neighborhood. It represents a lot more, as anyone who has attended the local market can attest. It is a neighborhood-building event.

Thank you for your support.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on June 9, 2010 at 8:16pm

If you did not see this morning's D&C, unfortunately the whole issue was declined (turned down,) saying it was one for the State to address, not the County. The County refused to do anything, basically.