A New Approach for Managing Mobile Vendor Requests

The City Council is working on a more streamlined process for mobile vendor requests (mainly food vendors) on city property. Discussed at the City Council work session on April 14, 2026, this change in process facilitates authorization on City property via staff. This aligns it with the process for requests on private property.

City Administrator Tony Tolstedt is looking for ways to improve efficiency while also maintaining standards. This change would not only enhance the applicant’s experience but also free up the City Council’s time while still maintaining safeguards currently in place. Most requests are for food vendors at annual events, such as the upcoming Cody Warriors Lacrosse Club Tournament.

Current Process

Currently, event organizers who use City property for various events and wish to have food trucks at their event must submit the request for the mobile vendors to the City Council for approval. The process works fine, but in a time crunch, it frustrates everyone involved, especially when event organizers are unaware of the different procedures for vendors on public property.

Shifting the Decision to Staff

Shifting decision-making to staff, unless extra considerations arise, allows the city to better serve the community. During the discussions, the council members wanted to ensure that all current considerations would still be addressed and that everyone would be treated equally and fairly.

The definition of a mobile vendor would not change, nor would any other provisions of the current ordinance, except the approval process. The ordinance would remain in place, but the resolution allows a transition period between the current ordinance and the new one’s implementation.

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