LaSalle council narrows food-truck options, denies Detour Tap food-truck permit and rejects yearlong late‑night music extension

Mayor Jeff Grove and LaSalle aldermen spent more than an hour debating food‑truck rules and special‑event permits before approving one mobile vendor license, denying a request for recurring food‑truck dates at a downtown bar and rejecting a proposed blanket extension of outdoor music hours.

The debate followed public comment from local business owners. Lee Pacula, owner of a downtown smokehouse, told the council, “I oppose it,” saying food trucks that arrive on good weather dates take customers away from brick‑and‑mortar restaurants. Will Hocking, proprietor of Detour Tap at 328 Third Street, asked for multiple food‑truck dates and a series of special‑event permits that would allow outdoor amplified music until 11 p.m. on selected Fridays and Saturdays through early June. Lacey Anderson applied for a mobile food‑vendor permit on behalf of a vendor listed in the agenda packet.

Why it matters: Council members said they want to preserve downtown restaurant revenue while allowing occasional events that can draw visitors. The discussion touched on how the city defines the downtown district, how the existing food‑truck rules count days of operation, and whether the council should set a new cap on the number of permitted events per vendor.

Council members discussed two separate but related sets of rules: (1) the city’s special‑event/noise rules (referred to in meeting materials as ordinance 91‑47 and related noise provisions) that can control amplified sound and hours, and (2) the city’s mobile food‑vendor provisions that limit food‑truck days. Aldermen explained that a food‑truck license is currently limited by the ordinance to a set number of operating days per vendor; speakers said the number in practice has been 12 days per food truck. The council weighed a suggestion — raised during the meeting — to limit individual food‑truck activity or special‑event permits to eight dates to protect downtown restaurants.

Votes and formal actions: The council voted to grant a mobile food vendor permit to Lacey Anderson (application as provided in the meeting packet). Separately, a motion to approve Detour Tap’s request to extend outdoor amplified music until 11 p.m. on eight specified dates failed (the motion did not pass on the roll call). Later in the meeting the council voted to deny Detour Tap’s request to host food trucks on a set of proposed dates; that motion passed 6–1.

Discussion highlights and clarifications: - Current counting rule: Council members explained that the city counts operating days against a food‑truck vendor’s allotment by the truck, not by the location. As stated in the meeting, if a food truck operates at many locations, each day of operation is charged to that truck’s allowance. - Downtown definition: Council discussion said the downtown business district is bounded roughly by the north side of Third Street to Canal Street (railroad to railroad was referenced) and that council has historically made exceptions for large one‑time events (for example, festivals). Several aldermen said the downtown rule was designed to prevent food trucks from “cherry‑picking” sunny weekend days and competing directly with downtown restaurants. - Proposed limits: Multiple council members suggested revisiting the ordinance and discussed a potential cap of eight dates per vendor or limiting special‑event permits to eight instances, but council members also said any change to the ordinance itself would need to be returned to the ordinance committee and another public meeting for action; the council allowed acting on specific permit requests on the agenda that night. - Enforcement and decibel limits: A council member reminded the public that the noise/special‑event rules include decibel limits and a restriction on amplified sound being audible across property lines after quiet hours; those provisions remain applicable to any approved extension.

Next steps and direction: Council members agreed to place a fuller ordinance discussion on the agenda for the next meeting and to refer considerations — including reviewing Peru and Ottawa’s approaches, and whether to adopt a specific numerical cap — to the ordinance committee for more research. Staff also told applicants they could withdraw or amend requests before the council acted.

Ending: The council’s immediate formal actions were limited to the items on the published agenda: one mobile‑vendor permit was approved and Detour Tap’s food‑truck request was denied; the broader ordinance changes were left for further study and future council consideration.