Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mobile Vending topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hermiston council amends mobile-vending rules, raises truck cap to 12
Summary
After extensive debate about meeting vendor demand, the Hermiston City Council amended Ordinance 23-81 to raise the maximum number of annual mobile-vending (type 2) licenses from 6 to 12 and removed the event-license category; council adopted the ordinance as amended, effective 30 days after adoption.
The Hermiston City Council voted unanimously March 23 to amend and adopt Ordinance 23-81, increasing the city’s cap on annual mobile-vending (type 2) licenses to 12 and making several housekeeping changes to the mobile-food code.
City staff summarized the proposal, saying the ordinance would increase annual licenses from 6 to 10 in the draft before council, raise 30‑day licenses from 3 to 5, remove the seldom-used event-license category, require compliance with the city’s FOG (fats, oil and grease) program and add spacing rules to prevent congestion. “We are proposing to increase the annual licenses from 6 to 10,” city staff explained, noting three people were already on a waiting list.
Councilors pressed staff on whether the recommended increase was sufficient. Several members said they wanted more breathing room so the council would not have to revisit the issue soon. “I would be okay with even raising the number from 6 to 12,” one councilor said during debate; another said 15 would be acceptable in light of possible food-pod development. Staff told the council it could set any limit it prefers and recommended 10 based on prior direction to limit proliferation for visual corridor and congestion concerns.
Councilor Broome moved to amend the ordinance to set a maximum of 12 type-2 licenses; the council approved the amendment by roll call, then adopted Ordinance 23-81 as amended. The ordinance’s revised language sets the maximum number of type-2 licenses at 12; the council recorded the adoption as unanimous. The ordinance includes an effective date provision: it becomes effective 30 days after adoption by the council.
Why it matters: The change loosens a longstanding cap intended to limit visual and congestion impacts while preserving the council’s ability to control siting through spacing and one-unit-per-property standards. Staff cautioned that increasing the cap will not by itself create sites — vendors must still find property owners willing to host them — but councilors said a higher cap could support local entrepreneurship and increase options for residents.
What’s next: City staff will publish the amended ordinance language and implement the new licensing limits after the 30‑day effective period. Council members said they could revisit the cap in coming years if demand outpaces supply or if the proposed food pod changes how vendors operate.
