North Canton council votes to remove $25 mobile food unit permit fee, to rebate 2025 payments

The North Canton City Council voted to remove the $25 annual permit fee for mobile food units that operate on city streets and approved language to rebate fees already paid this year, a staff member said.

City staff and council members said the fee, added when the mobile food unit (MFU) permit was created, has discouraged vendors from registering and undergoing basic fire-safety inspections. Ben, a city staff member who presented the proposal, said the city created an MFU permit and a $25 fee to formalize inspections; 2024 was the first full year under the ordinance and the city collected about $1,300 in revenue that year.

"What we have not had great success with is the fee, and it is honestly causing a higher level of noncompliance," Ben said. He told council that many vendors arrive only for one festival and are unfamiliar with the registration process, and that inspectors are typically already on duty for large events such as the Main Street Festival. "What is more important for public safety is that these food trucks, particularly those that use liquefied natural gas or lots of cooking oil, get inspected," he said.

Ben said the Stark County Health District still inspects food-service operations at large events, but the cityinspection ensures compliance with fire-safety requirements. Council and staff agreed the $25 fee would remain for food trucks operating inside city parks but would be eliminated for operations on public streets.

A councilmember said he liked the idea of removing the fee to help small businesses and to increase voluntary compliance; staff said 27 vendors had registered and paid the fee so far this year. Council voted to direct that the ordinance be amended before it returns to council, to set an effective date in January and to include language that would rebate fees already paid in 2025. "If this is passed to take effect January," Ben said, "we've had 27 people register and pay their fee already this year." A motion to include the staff caveat passed on an aye vote.

Council discussion kept focus on encouraging inspections while removing the financial barrier. Staff recommended keeping the permit and inspection process in place but removing the $25 charge for street operations, saying the city does not incur substantial additional cost when inspections occur during normal duty hours or at events where a fire inspector is already assigned.

The council did not change the requirement that vendors must obtain health licenses from the Stark County Health District when required by that agency.

The ordinance amendment will return to council with the staff-recommended caveats; council approved adding the rebate and an early January effective date to the amendment as it moves forward.