Hartland board refers S3 Deli request and mobile‑vendor policy to park board after debate over beer‑garden contract

S3 Deli owner Matt Ballantyne asked the Village of Hartland board for permission to operate a mobile food trailer at Nixon Park during beer‑garden hours and to serve weekday lunches on private property in the Industrial Park. After more than an hour of discussion about a recently signed contract with the beer‑garden operator and an existing village ordinance restricting food trucks in parks, the board voted to send Ballantyne’s request and a broader review of mobile food‑vendor policy to the park board for further consideration.

The referral is intended to let the park board examine whether the village ordinance should be changed to allow mobile food vendors at parks or during special events, and whether contracts with the beer‑garden operator (Beer Snobs) need renegotiation if other food vendors are allowed to operate at Nixon Park. The motion, as amended, also asked the park board to consider a separate application from Little Dipper’s for an ice‑cream cart in village parks.

Why it matters: The board acknowledged a tension between supporting local businesses and honoring a contract recently signed with the beer‑garden operator, which had included a payment arrangement tied to food and beverage sales. Trustees said that approving a permanent change without amending the ordinance would put the village at legal risk, so the issue will move through the park‑board and village‑board ordinance process rather than being decided immediately.

Matt Ballantyne, owner of S3 Deli, told the board he planned to operate at Nixon Park “anytime the beer garden’s open,” and proposed serving lunch to Industrial Park workers on private property during weekdays. He described the trailer as self‑contained and powered by a small propane generator and said he would remove the trailer each night and return it to his shop for restocking. Ballantyne also said he had permission from at least one private property owner in the Industrial Park to…