FARMERS MARKETS PROTECTED BY LEGISLATION

On Monday, September 21, the Council unanimously approved Council Bill 116612, cutting the permit fees charged to Farmers Markets by approximately 90%. This action is a key implementation step for the Local Food Action Initiative (Resolution 31019). Under the new fee structure, fees are reduced from $11000 to $550 for a 28 week market. Farmers markets are experiencing difficulty staging markets on privately owned sites, and this helps them in securing more stable locations on public property.