Bourne board keeps March permit in place, refers food‑truck policy to subcommittee after heated public debate

The Bourne Select Board voted on July 7 to refer disputes over food trucks at the Canal Region Farmers Market to its policy subcommittee, sparing the market's current permit from being rescinded midseason.

The board's decision came after the market organizer, Stephanie Viva Wheaton, told the panel that the application and site map disclosed food trucks and that three of the market's roughly 25 vendors are food trucks. "Food trucks are routine parts of events at Buzzards Bay Park," she said, adding that the trucks help feed vendors, volunteers and staff and that inspections and departmental reviews had been completed.

Members of the public offered sharply divided testimony. Several Main Street business owners urged the board to remove food trucks during the eight-week concert series, arguing trucks compete with year-round restaurants that sponsor and support the events. "The businesses that sponsor these concerts should not be placed at a competitive disadvantage," a representative of the Canal Region Chamber told the board. By contrast, multiple food-truck operators and seasonal vendors said the trucks are small local businesses operating on tight seasonal margins and that limiting them would harm livelihoods; one vendor said food trucks have "0 profit" after permits, insurance and equipment costs.

Town counsel/staff member Brian told the board that, under the town's current policies and Robert's Rules of Order, a formal reconsideration would generally have to happen at the same meeting, but the board could rescind a prior vote. He urged caution before overturning an issued authorization, noting legal and jurisdictional questions about whether some vendor locations are on town property or on adjacent state or Army Corps land.

After the public comment and staff advice, board members debated the legal and policy trade-offs. Several members said the March permit disclosure (they said) supported leaving the decision in place for the season, while others said the episode revealed gaps in the town's special-events policy and called for clearer rules governing food trucks at recurring events. The board voted to refer the matter to the policy subcommittee for a formal review and recommended timeline for revisions.

The referral preserves the market's current operations while directing staff and the subcommittee to draft clearer policy language ahead of next year's season.

What happens next: The policy subcommittee will review the special-events policy, the permitting record and parking/property jurisdiction questions and is expected to bring recommendations back to the full board for a future vote.