Eastport schedules workshop after extended debate over food‑truck rules

The Eastport City Council voted to hold a workshop on April 1 to consider amendments to its mobile vending unit ordinance after an extensive debate over how to balance downtown restaurants' interests, special‑event vendors and cruise‑ship traffic.

Councilors and staff spent more than 30 minutes unpacking a tangle of licensing requirements that, as written, require both a peddler license and a separate mobile‑vending license and that create uneven enforcement for special events and pier/cruise‑ship activity. City Manager Brian said the ordinance as written has been difficult to enforce and highlighted that some provisions require a public hearing while special‑event vendors had previously been treated differently.

"As written, you're supposed to have gotten a vict license first which requires a public hearing... and then once you've acquired that, then you can apply for the mobile vending unit license," Brian said, describing the layered process and enforcement hurdles. He told the council he had drafted multiple amendment options — from simply removing duplicative license requirements to more comprehensive special‑event controls — and recommended a workshop to hear all sides before proposing an amendment for public hearing.

Some councilors flagged specific policy concerns. One member said the intent of regulation should be "to protect the brick‑and‑mortar restaurants that pay taxes" and cautioned against allowing transient vendors to "cannibalize" established businesses. Others urged flexibility for long‑anticipated community draws, noting the value that consistent local vendors have provided during the off‑season.

The port director and event organizers were invited to participate; councilors noted the port has already hosted food trucks on the pier and the port director indicated they believe they can manage pier vendors but welcomed council coordination. Staff proposed limiting mobile vending except during defined special events or creating clear special‑event controls to avoid ad hoc, inconsistent enforcement.

At the end of discussion the council "moved to have a workshop on the mobile vending unit ordinance for April 1st at 6:00 p.m.," a motion that carried on a unanimous roll call. Council President said the workshop would be used to draft language the council could consider at its April 8 meeting and to hear the port director and other stakeholders.

The workshop is intended as a policy development meeting rather than final action; if the council chooses language at the workshop, the amendments would be scheduled for formal public‑hearing notice and a later vote.