Helotes—The Helotes City Council approved an amendment to the municipal fee schedule that lowers the permit fee for mobile food vendors and creates new reinspection and amendment fees.

City staff explained the change is required to align Helotes fees with limits posted by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Henry, a city staff member in Development Services, told the council the permit fee must be no greater than the DSHS maximum and that the city will reduce its mobile-vendor permit from $300 to $258.

Henry said the amendment also adds a reinspection fee and a fee for amendments to vendor documentation; he told the council the reinspection fee proposed is $200. "If they are aligned with DSHS or the county, then we confirm that and we do not charge the Helotes fee," Henry said, explaining the city will only collect the local fee from vendors who are not already regulated by DSHS or a county program.

Council members asked how the fees would be applied and whether they could deter growth of the local food-truck scene. Council Member Craig asked for confirmation that the $258 permit is annual and that reinspection would be charged only when additional work is required; staff confirmed the permit is annual and that reinspections are charged in line with other inspection programs.

The council called the question and approved the fee-schedule amendment as written. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript during the discussion.

City staff said the changes are intended to align Helotes’ administrative fees with state guidance and to allow the city to recover staff time when documents are amended or inspections must be repeated. The amendment does not change state or county inspections for vendors who are already regulated by those authorities.

Officials signaled the fee will be effective on the city’s annual permitting schedule; staff did not provide an anticipated revenue projection at the meeting.