Committee holds ordinance tightening downtown food-truck hours after police safety concerns and vendor objections

The Public Safety and Governance Committee of the Cincinnati City Council on Oct. 1 held an ordinance that would add language to municipal code section 7 23 12 to further restrict mobile food vending in downtown and Over-the-Rhine, asking the administration to return in two weeks with police data and representatives of the Food Truck Association.

Interim assistant city manager John Marzina told the committee that "the item that's before you is an ordinance modifying the municipal code, section 7 23 12 for the mobile food vending," and reviewed a 2023 change that allowed mobile food vendors to operate in paid parking spaces across the city. Marzina said the city saw "no issues all through '24" and that problems only emerged this summer when CPD began reporting late-night "hot spots" around some trucks.

Captain David Schofield, central business section commander, described CPD's observations: "we were seeing large crowds that were forming around these trucks in the streets and on the sidewalks in these areas. Oftentimes, some members of the crowds would be intoxicated, so therefore, we were seeing disorder, we were seeing fights, and just a general sense of disorder in these zones on certain occasions." He said officers have since observed fewer fights after changes earlier this year.

Vice Mayor Jan Michelle Kearney and other council members pressed the administration to consult the industry. Kearney said she had spoken with Amy Flodamesh, head of the Cincinnati Food Truck Association, and relayed the association's concerns that the ordinance's 100-foot written-consent requirement near restaurants and parklet dining is onerous and that an 11 p.m. curfew may be "too early," cutting vendors' late-night revenue. Kearney said the association represents "more than a 100 food trucks."

Council member Anna Albee criticized the rollout, saying "this whole decision was made by the administration without consulting council ahead of time," and pressed the administration for incident data that separates events tied directly to food trucks from alcohol-related disturbances at surrounding bars. Marzina acknowledged the administration had not successfully reached the association in recent weeks and called that a "failure on our end," and Captain Schofield said the CAPS unit is compiling incident information and can make it available.

Marzina said the specific change before the committee was to add a provision (number 10 on letter b) prohibiting mobile food vending in specified parking zones during times when vending is prohibited; he said the existing 100-foot rule around restaurants had been in place for two years and was not being changed in this amendment.

After discussion the chair moved to delay further action. Chair Scotty Johnson said the committee would invite food-truck representatives and asked the administration to provide CPD's data; "we're gonna hold agenda item 1," he announced, and, "hearing no objection, we'll hold agenda item number 1." The committee did not vote on the ordinance and took no final action; the item was held for two weeks pending the requested data and industry input.

The committee adjourned after brief thanks to Sergeant Grant. The ordinance and any revised language will return to the committee when staff and industry representatives have conferred and the police CAPS unit has supplied the requested incident data.