The Selma City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday that will allow the city to charge vendor’s fees for special events, such as the Bridge Crossing Jubilee and Battle of Selma.

Vendors will be charged for a $50 license, which will also include the price for two picture IDs. The license can be used for a maximum of three days and must be renewed for each new event. Any additional ID cards will cost $5 each.

“This is something we have been working on for the last four or five years,” said council president Corey Bowie. “This will help with some of the expenses we have.”

Bowie said the fees could go toward helping pay for the public works department to cleanup after events or for police patrol during events.

In the past, Bowie said a vendor fee was only charged for events that the city was sponsoring. Now the fee will include any event within the city limits.

“In the past, if we had events like the bridge crossing or the chili cookoff, they didn’t have to pay a vendor’s fee,” Bowie said.

The ordinance goes into effect immediately and specifically lists the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Market Day, the Battle of Selma, Rib Cook Off and Chili Cook Off among the special events where vendor’s fees will be charged.

Bowie said he’s unsure how much money the vendor’s license would bring in for the city each year.

“You’re not going to get rich off of $50,” Bowie said. “This is another way of making sure we get what is owed to us.”

Over the last few years, the city council has revisited vendor fees several times in an effort to find the right terms for the ordinance. Bowie said during that time, the city has warned vendors that the fee was coming.

“I guess you could say it was a trial period,” Bowie said.

Given the demographics of the area, Bowie said he thought a $50 fee was the fairest amount to charge for a license.

He said the city tries to remain “vendor friendly.”

A vendor’s fee can be obtained at the Selma Tax and License Department.