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Resident raises food-safety and traffic-safety concerns over roadside vendors; council asks staff to investigate
Summary
A resident urged the council to investigate unlicensed roadside food vendors operating near a highway, citing potential public-health and safety risks including uncooked meat handling and propane tanks near vehicle traffic. The council asked staff to look into the matter and report back.
During audience communications at the Oct. 7 meeting, resident Kevin Van Hollaveck of 181760 Third Avenue Southeast (transcript) told the council he had observed informal food vendors operating close to the roadway and raised public-health and safety concerns.
"If you wanna operate a business in Mill Creek, it can be expensive," Van Hollaveck said. He described a vendor near "A Hundred 60 Fourth" whose canopy, he said, is "4 inches from the highway," and said he observed vendors accepting cash or Venmo rather than conducting point‑of‑sale transactions: "I bought a taco for $3 to test out the system. They didn't charge me sales tax. They didn't take a credit card. They offered cash or a Venmo to some guy who was right there." He also told the council the vendors used and stored five‑gallon propane tanks near vehicle traffic and expressed concern about where meat used in cooking was sourced.
Van Hollaveck said he contacted the county health department, and an inspector told him they inspect these vendors but are “not even allowed to ask them for ID,” he reported, adding that enforcement appeared limited and the vendors often resumed operations after temporary shut‑downs.
After the comment, the mayor asked city staff to follow up. A city official said, “Martin, can you look into that and report back to us?” (Martin is the city manager in the meeting record). The transcript shows staff accepted the request and indicated they will investigate and report back to council.
Ending: The council offered no immediate enforcement action at the meeting; staff were asked to investigate vendor operations, health‑department jurisdiction and any necessary follow‑up to determine whether city or county enforcement action is appropriate.
