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Lee County adopts food-truck policy, sets temporary reduced fee to encourage vendor participation
Summary
The Board approved a countywide food-truck policy to streamline vendor access to parks and other county properties, set a temporary reduced application fee for the remainder of the year, and directed staff to include the policy in the parks fee schedule for annual review.
Lee County commissioners on July 21 adopted a new county food-truck policy intended to standardize vendor access to county parks and other county properties, establish liability and permitting requirements, and create a streamlined application and scheduling system for vendors.
Parks staff told commissioners the policy is intended primarily for non-county-sanctioned events and park locations, and reflects feedback gathered by the Parks and Recreation board. Under the policy, food-truck operators will apply once per calendar period, pay a fee for placement approval and receive a Lee County Parks and Rec-approved sticker allowing them to schedule dates through the county’s reservation software. For the remainder of the current year staff proposed a reduced fee of $1.25; the full annual fee of $2.50 will be reconsidered under the parks fee schedule starting in January and reviewed annually by the parks board.
Cindy Castle, a parks staff member involved in the policy development, said existing vendor arrangements were handled by separate memoranda of understanding and by an honor system for revenue sharing. The new policy consolidates requirements—including a $1 million-per-occurrence liability insurance requirement, naming the county as additional insured, and submission of environmental health permit numbers—into a single application. “We put together an application… we’re trying to be equitable to all food trucks, giving them an opportunity to go through our application process,” staff said.
Commissioners asked about fee-setting rationale, the number of current MOUs (staff said seven or eight), and how staff had engaged current vendors; staff said they had discussed the proposal with existing vendors and that the parks board recommended starting the program at a modest fee to encourage participation with annual review to adjust pricing.
The board approved the policy by voice vote. Staff said approved vendors will be able to schedule site use at athletic park locations and other designated parks; staff will monitor participation and recommend fee adjustments via the parks fee schedule.
