When is it OK to waive permit fees for a small, seasonal business and when must the city stick with the guidelines? It’s a matter up for debate among the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety.

Alisha Clayson of Warsaw approached the B.O.W. today to ask the city to waive the permit fees so that she and her husband and four children can operate a seasonal shaved ice business within the city limits. “The purpose of our business is to teach our kids to work, to save money for college and church missions, and to be productive and proactive citizens,” she told the board, “but if we have to pay the $25 permit fee for each child everyday, that’s going to leave us in the red.”

Clayson and her family reside within a mile of the city limits and said her children attend Warsaw Community Schools and the family does most of their business in Warsaw.

As it is currently written, the city charges nonresidents a $25 fee per employee per day. Clayson said if they are required to pay those fees, their family owned and operated seasonal business would not be able to make enough profits to sustain the business.

The Claysons have worked out a rental agreement with the owners of a now closed auto shop at the corner of Fort Wayne and Indiana streets and across from Center Lake Park. Snoballs Shaved Ice Concession would operate in the parking lot of the former business and the Claysons would make extra effort to clean up the area to make it presentable for their business as well as the real estate itself which could promote a sale of the building.

While B.O.W. member Charlie Smith said he understood Clayson’s reasoning, he referred to city planner Jeremy Skinner asking what the protocol would be. Skinner and Smith agreed that waiving the fee may be unfair to other businesses and is a matter that should also be discussed among the Warsaw Common Council. In the absence of Mayor Joe Thallemer, it was suggested the matter be tabled until the July 6 B.O.W. meeting.

In other business, assistant city planner Tim Dombrosky asked for approval to apply for a $20,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitors Commission. The grant money would be used to create Krebs Trailhead Park as part of the city’s Ride-Walk Warsaw-Winona Lake project. The park would be located between Center and East Market streets between North McKinley and South McKinley streets. Plans for the park include a bike and walk path, public restrooms, picnic benches and seating benches. Approval was granted.

The next B.O.W. meeting will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 6.