"A dispute between a handful of local farmers and the city government over regulation of the Charlottesville City Market has been resolved.

Two Albemarle County goat farmers, John Coles and Christine Solem, had appealed new rules that explicitly required any vendor at the Charlottesville market to comply with all federal and state food safety regulations, weights and measurement rules.

After meeting with Coles and Solem on Thursday, city officials agreed to tweak the market’s new regulations, rewording the section requiring vendors to know and comply with state and federal laws.

“It was a tough fight, but we got a reasonable compromise,” Solem said.

Now, the revised regulations will state that it is the vendor’s responsibility to be in compliance, but that the city will not enforce the rules and is not liable for any vendor’s compliance or lack thereof.

“It’s kind of legal maneuvering, but that’s fine with me. My argument all along was that the city had no authority to enforce these regulations,” said Solem, who withdrew her appeal Monday after seeing a draft of the revised regulations.

Solem and Coles object to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulations that require anyone selling fruits and vegetables to use commercial-grade scales.

They also dislike state rules that require inspection and certification of kitchens belonging to vendors who sell prepared foods such as cookies, pies, jams, jellies, honey or acidic canned goods.

Charlottesville City Attorney Craig Brown said the revised regulations are essentially finalized, but await the signature of City Manager Gary O’Connell.

City Council member Dave Norris said he was pleased to see both the vendors and city government come together and reach an agreeable compromise.

“It worked out in the end to everyone’s satisfaction,” Norris said. “Everyone worked together for the good of the market.”

The city also agreed to amend its fee structure for farmers market vendors, allowing sellers to pay a $5 fee to operate a stall at the market on a weekly basis. Prior to the revision, vendors wanting to just try out the market for one or two Saturdays had no choice but to pay a $20 annual fee.

The Charlottesville City Market is held from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays at the metered parking lot between Water and South streets, off the Downtown Mall. A second farmers market will begin May 30 and will be held at Meade Park on Wednesday afternoons.

Founded in 1973, the Saturday morning market draws roughly 100 vendors each week. Last year, it generated $900,000 in sales.

Elaine Lidholm, spokeswoman for the state agriculture department, said its inspections of vendors at the Charlottesville market will continue.

“We will continue to inspect,” she said. “The fact that the city has sort of distanced itself from us does not make it any less of a law. It is [our] responsibility and we will continue to do it.”

The market manager, Stephanie Anderegg-Maloy, could not be reached for comment Tuesday." (Brian McNeill, The Daily Progress, May 16, 2007)