Aldermen send amended food-truck ordinance back to city attorney with protections for existing vendors

City aldermen on Aug. 19 voted to have the city attorney revise a proposed food-truck ordinance to add protections for existing vendors, clarify permit types and correct formatting before returning the bill to the Board of Aldermen.

The ordinance under discussion, amended bill number 5,286, would add a new chapter governing food trucks (identified in the draft as chapter 402 and sections in the 426 series) and create a station-based permit class for food trucks that remain on private property for extended periods. The board debated permit fees, whether existing trucks would be required to build permanent “brick-and-mortar” restaurants, and how to treat trucks on leased land.

Alderman Cleave raised a language question about the ordinance’s definition of food and quoted the draft: “It’s the food is ready for immediate consumption.” Attorney Carr and other aldermen clarified that “immediate consumption” was meant to distinguish prepared food from prepackaged items and would not force…