Nolensville vendor asks board to postpone vote on mobile food vending ordinance

At a Jan. 9, 2025 public hearing, Katie Allred, co-owner of The Pop Stop, asked the Town of Nolensville Board of Commissioners to postpone a vote on a proposed ordinance to regulate mobile food vending and to reconsider specific provisions she said would hurt small vendors.

Allred identified the item as Ordinance 24-18, an amendment to Title 9 of the Nolensville Municipal Code to adopt Chapter 4 (mobile food vending). During her remarks she also referenced the number “21-18,” which differs from the ordinance number announced by the chair; the discrepancy was not resolved during the hearing.

Allred said two provisions in particular would be harmful: a requirement that a truck move every evening, and a limit that would restrict a food truck to a single location a maximum of 10 times per year. “As it currently stands, this would devastate our business,” she said. “What we’re asking for tonight is to postpone the vote on this ordinance until we have more time to consider alternatives that will support small business and protect the town of Nolensville that we all know and love.”

Allred suggested several possible changes the board could study, including examining ordinances from other Tennessee cities such as Brentwood, creating a different permit category for vendors who do not cook or serve meals on site, designating specific zones where vendors may operate, or exempting trucks that operate on private property and do not directly compete with nearby restaurants. She also proposed a separate local registration for Nolensville vendors who would pay local taxes.

The public hearing record shows two sign-ups for the item; Jennifer Bounds was identified in the chamber as accompanying Allred. The transcript records no motion to postpone and no formal vote on the ordinance during the Jan. 9 hearing.

The board did not take formal action on the ordinance during the public hearing and no decision on postponement or amendment was recorded.