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Bridgeport committee backs higher fines for food trucks and urges police, permit office enforcement
Summary
Committee supported raising penalties for food-truck and mobile vendor violations and pressed enforcement agencies to address trucks parked illegally, using generators and storing fuel on sidewalks. Members named the Bridgeport Police Department and sidewalk/permit director Joseph Estafon as enforcement contacts.
Bridgeport City Council committee members reviewed proposed amendments to the city code to raise civil penalties for motor-vehicle vendors and food trucks and pressed for clearer enforcement responsibilities.
The draft ordinance would raise certain penalties from the current $50–$100 levels to $200 for operating without a license or other violations. Committee members said push‑cart vendors also require permits and that late fees should apply consistently. The committee repeatedly emphasized public-safety concerns about trucks leaving generators and kerosene tanks on sidewalks and streets.
Several council members said the Bridgeport Police Department handles enforcement of truck placement while the health department issues health permits; they urged constituents to report violations to the police and to Joseph Estafon, the sidewalk and permit director, who was identified as the city contact for tagging and towing vehicles. One committee member recounted reporting a truck on Boston Avenue and said Chief Porter told them enforcement was discretionary in that instance.
The committee asked staff to coordinate with planning and zoning (OPED) to update obsolete zoning references in the ordinance, and to return with an amended draft. The transcript shows committee-level motions and voice approval for the procedural steps to move forward; no final ordinance adoption occurred during the workshop.
Next steps: staff will revise the ordinance text to fix outdated zone references, clarify which department enforces placement and public-safety hazards, and return to the committee with a redraft.
