City staff to rewrite food‑truck rules after complaints; commission asks for clearer event exemptions

City staff told the Nicholasville City Commission on Oct. 14 they will draft clarifying changes to the itinerant-merchant ordinance after an increase in complaints about food trucks and other vendors.

Staff explained that the current ordinance is vague about which vendors are exempt when they participate in special events and that enforcement has been inconsistent. "Because of the influx of complaints we're getting due to the number of food trucks we're seeing around town, we would just like to work on getting clarification on them," a staff member said. The discussion covered whether vendors who are part of a city-recognized festival should be exempt from separate vendor licensing and net-profit fees and whether farmers-market vendors should be treated differently to promote small producers.

Commissioners and staff discussed practical distinctions: private events on leased property (for example events at The Oaks) may not require city vendor fees, while public, city-sponsored events would. Staff proposed the commission begin designating certain events as "special events" to create predictable exemptions and asked for commissioner guidance on which activities should be exempt. Staff will sit down with relevant directors and prepare draft ordinance language for a future meeting.

The commission did not vote on ordinance text at the meeting; instead, it endorsed staff work to draft clearer language and return with recommendations. Commissioners emphasized fairness for downtown restaurants and other businesses while supporting event growth. Staff also noted other vendor complaints (political stands and public-right-of-way vendors) that will be addressed in the rewrite.