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Annapolis committee gives favorable recommendation to mobile food vendor signage ordinance
Summary
The Economic Matters Committee on Dec. 18 recommended approval of ordinance O3124 as amended, tightening sign rules for mobile food vendors to align them with brick-and-mortar standards while removing language that would have restricted sandwich boards and LCD menus.
The Annapolis Economic Matters Committee gave a favorable recommendation Dec. 18 to ordinance O3124, which would regulate signage for mobile food service vendors in the city, approving Amendment 1 to clarify limits on flashing and temporary signage.
The change responds to complaints about food trucks using flashing or blinking signs overnight and to vendor concerns that earlier draft language would have over-regulated sandwich boards and LCD menu displays. "I noticed some food trucks had some flashing, light signs blinking all night, long," Alderman Savage said, explaining the origin of the legislation. "This is an effort to basically hold them to a similar standard as brick and mortar stores." Committee members said Amendment 1 removed conflicting language and preserved vendors' ability to use LCD menus and sandwich boards within the clarified limits.
Committee members described the amendment as a compromise that balanced public concerns about nuisance lighting with vendors' need to advertise. The motion to move Amendment 1 was made and seconded; committee members voted in favor and the chair said, "O 3124 is given a favorable recommendation as amended." The transcript records voice votes in which all present voted aye; no roll-call tally was recorded at the meeting.
The ordinance as amended now proceeds with a committee-level favorable recommendation. The committee did not take further procedural action at the hearing to adopt the ordinance itself; the recommendation will be reflected in the committee's record for the next steps in the city's legislative process.
No speakers at the hearing provided specific dollar impacts, implementation schedules, or enforcement procedures beyond what is reflected in the draft amendment and discussion; those details will be determined as the ordinance moves forward through the city's legislative process.
