After months of discussions and language revisions, the Clearwater City Council adopted an ordinance last meeting establishing licensing and regulations for mobile food units and food carts.
The issue came before the council in May when Jimmy Gordon of Jimmy’s Pizza requested permission to locate a 8 1’2’ x 32’ food truck in the Clearwater Hardware & Bait parking lot for a long-term period.
At the time, the city had no ordinance either allowing or disallowing such a request. But it brought up many questions about what could and should be allowed, where they could be located, for how long and how much it should cost.
There were also questions about what the state allowed and whether creating an ordinance would supercede state rules.
Last meeting, the council finally adopted an ordinance, but agreeing on a license permit fee took another 30 minutes to settle.
In the proposed fee schedule the council was voting on that night, the fee was set at $20 per day, which would be about $7,200 for a full year.
“That seems a little high,” said Councilman Rollie Lange. who had suggested $50 a month during earlier discussions.
Councilman Kris Crandall asked Administrator Kevin Kress for an explanation for the fee amount.
“What does that get the guy who pays this? Is it the amount of paperwork?” he asked. “I’m just trying to get a feel for it.”
Kress said the figure was set in part to recoup what they city could be getting from a brick and mortar business. But he didn’t know whether it was too high.
“The only thing we had to base it off of is what other cities do - $20 per day up to 21 days,” he said. “We’re looking for council perspective on what you think is reasonable to start it off. It’s a brand new ordinance. Right now we only have one interested party. We don’t know if there will be more.”
Councilman Richard Petty said he wasn’t in favor of long-term mobile food trucks because he felt they had unfair competition against brick and mortar businesses. But he said $7,300 a year seemed high.
Council Member Andrea Lawrence said the number should be high enough to prevent some mobile units from taking advantage of the situation, but not so big a business couldn’t afford to pay and still make money.
Mayor Pete Edmonson also felt a lower number would be better.
He said a brick and mortar business could invest more because it would make more; while a mobile unit had limited profit potential.
“I don’t know if I would want to deter a mobile food truck with the same parameters we have for a building,” he said.
He suggested $5 to $7 a day, which would be about $1,800 to $2,500 a year.
The council settled on $7 per day, paid in advance for an agreed upon length of stay.
The council agreed to look at the fee amount over time to see if it needed to be revised.
Other Business
In other action the council:
• Approved a 3.2% off-sale liquor license for Kwik Trip;
• Designated Clearwater City Hall as the voting precinct in the City of Clearwater for 2018;
• Approved attorney services for Rupp, Anderson, Squires and Waldspurger at $160/hr.
