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St. James council keeps food-truck permit fee at $100, agrees to consider banning trucks from downtown parking
Summary
On Jan. 20 the St. James City Council voted to keep the food-truck permit fee at $100 and asked staff to draft an ordinance amendment to consider excluding the downtown city parking lot from food-truck use; the fee resolution also notes a proposed $500 cannabis citation.
St. James — The St. James City Council on Jan. 20 voted to keep the food-truck permit fee at $100 and directed staff to pursue an ordinance amendment that could bar food trucks from the downtown city parking lot.
City staff presented Resolution 1.26.05, a 2026 fee schedule that left specific permit amounts blank for council input and flagged a proposed $500 administrative citation for selling cannabis without a state license. Staff told the council the draft drew on research from neighboring communities and noted that code-enforcement citation practices vary by municipality.
Council member Nani argued the downtown parking lot should be off-limits for food trucks, saying the three downtown service clubs — the VFW, the Legion and the Eagles — together contribute “over $94,000” annually to the community and that food trucks “are taking up too many parking spots” and divert revenue from brick-and-mortar businesses.
Other council members resisted an immediate location ban, noting that changing where food trucks may park would require an ordinance amendment and two readings. Councilors discussed alternative sites — including park areas and privately negotiated agreements with business owners — and noted vendors sometimes use trailers that cannot operate on grass.
Members debated whether the permit fee should be reduced to encourage more operators or remain at the current $100 level. After discussion, a councilor moved to keep the fee at $100 and to consider a separate ordinance amendment restricting downtown parking for food trucks; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The council did not set a new fee level in the meeting; staff will prepare any ordinance language and present it for first and second readings at future meetings if the council pursues the location restriction.
The fee schedule also includes a proposed $500 administrative citation tied to the city’s cannabis ordinance for sales without a state license, which staff said was proposed in coordination with a city official identified as Brad.
Next steps: staff will draft ordinance language if the council directs that the downtown parking lot be excluded from food-truck use; the council may act on that amendment in future meetings with formal readings and votes.
