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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

City Council dances around food truck vote

The Bloomington City Council considered three amendments to Ordinance 15-05, the food truck ordinance, at Wednesday evening’s City Council meeting.

The meeting began promptly at 7:30 p.m. By 11:15 p.m., the council had still not made any definitive decisions on the controversial ordinance.

Amendment 1, proposed by council member and mayoral candidate Darryl Neher, would encourage food trucks to congregate in “pod” areas. The council voted yes on this ?amendment.

Amendment 2, introduced by Dave Rollo, would have extended the proposed 50-foot buffer zone to 75 feet. It was shot down.

Amendment 3, which suspends the 50-foot buffer zone while an establishment is closed, passed.

Though current Bloomington regulations force food trucks to maintain a 50-foot buffer from restaurants and bars, Ordinance 15-05 extends the buffer to include the outside eating areas in front of and around some of Bloomington’s downtown establishments.

According to a map from the council’s legislative packet, food trucks would be prohibited from parking on most of east Kirkwood — between the Sample Gates and the downtown square — a popular spot for some of the city’s food trucks.

“We are not a destination business,” Big Cheeze co-owner Corey Sampson said. “We are a ?location-based business.”

The issue had divided the council with debate over several of the ordinance’s amendments, especially Rollo’s Amendment 2.

“Some people think they’re leeches on downtown businesses,” council member Stephen Volan said. “I’m dumbfounded by this idea.”

Debate continued over the second amendment.

“If the food trucks should pay their fair share, then why don’t we define what their fair share is?” Volan said.

Amendment 2 was too overreaching, Neher said.

“This is a disruptive business model and we’re trying to figure a way to balance interest,” Neher said. “75 feet just goes too far.”

For traditional brick-and-mortar establishments, food trucks take up parking space for potential costumers and have generators that create noise, which businesses say annoy costumers who sit outside.

A controversial issue that has been debated since late 2014, the ordinance was postponed for amendment until March. Now, in late March, after having been re-worked multiple times, the ordinance was finally up for a vote at Wednesday evening’s meeting.

The council gave little indication in previous meetings on which way they were leaning, lending much anticipation concerning ?the vote.

As of 11:50 p.m., the council did not vote on the ordinance itself. Go to idsnews.com for any ?updates.

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