Wilkes‑Barre council adopts mobile food facility rules; approves license fee proration

Wilkes‑Barre City Council on Tuesday approved a new mobile food facility ordinance intended to register and regulate food trucks operating in the city and separately approved an ordinance that changes the calendar for restaurant license renewals.

The measures, described by council members as an effort to bring unregulated mobile vendors into the city’s licensing and health‑inspection framework, were adopted after public comment that ranged from safety and noise concerns to warnings that new rules could burden small businesses.

Council members said the mobile food facility ordinance will require registration, inspection and payment of applicable fees for trucks operating in the city. “This is about paying the licensing fee,” Councilman Brooks said during public comment and council discussion. Supporters of regulation said the draft text also addresses nuisance factors — lights, amplified music and outdoor tables — and can be adjusted later if problems persist. “We put in there about the lights. We put in there about the music. We put in there about the tables without having a restroom,” Councilman Mirren told the council during debate.

Several residents urged limits on late‑night operation. Tom Gagatek and James Steezenitz told council members they had observed trucks operating into the early morning hours and said that presence near homes can raise concerns about safety and noise. A former police officer who spoke at the meeting said he was “comfortable” with midnight closing but worried about operations after midnight and raised questions about refrigeration and generator use in parked trucks at night.

Other public commenters urged caution so rules do not shut down small‑business startups. “These ordinances crack down on small business owners,” said vendor Anthony Farrah, who said regulation could make it harder for entrepreneurs to start operations when brick‑and‑mortar rents are high.

Councilmembers responded that the purpose of the ordinance is to create a regulatory framework where none existed since 2021 and to allow enforcement of taxes, noise and public‑health standards; they said hours could be revisited after implementation. Members repeatedly directed residents to call police for trucks operating in front of private homes and the health department for daytime sanitary concerns.

Votes at a glance: the council approved both ordinances at the meeting. The mobile food facility ordinance (Council File 1) passed on a 3–2 vote after a motion by Councilman Mirren and a second by Councilwoman Maclay. The fee proration ordinance (Council File 2), which sets restaurant licensing to a calendar‑year renewal cycle, passed unanimously by recorded voice vote.

Details of council action, as stated in the meeting record, are limited to the ordinance descriptions and the roll calls; the ordinances themselves and any implementing rules or administrative procedures will be available through the city clerk’s office.

Council members said the health department will retain its existing inspection and enforcement authority for sanitary conditions, and the new licensing rules are intended to work alongside those inspections rather than replace them. Council and staff also noted that the health department’s capacity to inspect trucks at all hours is limited and that operational details such as permanent electrical hookups and refrigerated storage will be clarified with health‑department staff.

The council adopted both ordinances during the meeting’s regular session and closed discussion to move on to other business.