According to minutes of the City Council’s Economic Development Committee and several local news articles, Chattanooga’s City Attorney gave a food truck presentation. He explained to City Council that a new food truck ordinance was being drafted to allow use of mobile food trucks on public property. He said Chattanooga’s current ordinance limited food trucks to parking on private property.
He told the council that food trucks were a “thriving industry” in Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon.
At least some members of City Council seemed to question the local ordinance changes. This was not unusual since Council members traditionally have the role of proposing, questioning and deciding legislation. It’s difficult to tell if the City Attorney’s job is lobbying or is still confined to offering legal opinions.
Where will the new ordinance allow food trucks to squat? The public doesn’t have a clue, because it’s yet to be determined. That’s probably because local business eateries that pay property taxes or rent might strongly object if they knew in time to oppose this.
Also, citizens who can’t park in public spaces occupied by food trucks might object. We already know finding parking spaces in Chattanooga is frequently difficult. If the future plan is to allow food trucks to occupy public parking spaces, streets or public land, it may well infringe on the freedoms, safety and financial well-being of more people than food trucks feed.
Does local government need to encourage people to mill around vendors in public parking areas or streets? We already have numerous festivals where public spaces are roped off and streets are closed to accommodate vendors and patrons. Do we need more pedestrian congestion in vehicular areas?
Dear Elected Officials and Unelected City Attorney,
Please have a little more consideration for the businesses that pay property taxes and the citizens struggling to find parking spaces to visit them.
Sales tax is only helpful to a city if vendors pays it. Let’s consider having someone spend less time promoting food trucks and spend more time ensuring sales tax collections for cash vendor businesses that squat and run while under-reporting income.
Deborah Scott
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I was troubled to see that someone has such a narrow rigid view of food trucks and what they bring to a city. The vibrance that food trucks contribute to cities I have visited is extraordinary. They bring diversity, easy-to-choose-from menus, they very often utilize local ingredients, and each has their specialty. Every city I travel to I walk through as a pedestrian visitor. Thai, Indian, Salvadoran, Vegetarian, Barbeque, Korean. An entire world of culinary delights in a few blocks of a city street.
Food carts offer options to people on lunch from their occupations, to families having a day out with many mouths to feed, to people who need to eat and don’t have the time or finances to sit down and eat at a local restaurant. Chattanooga is growing and to do so with vitality, embracing the food truck industry, is most necessary. It would be best for our city to make way for the benefits of food trucks and move forward. Our city needs to do more to foster small business and micro business diversity.
There is room for everyone, but this city’s government needs to take some responsibility to ensure that restaurants and food trucks and all tiny enterprises can exist side by side here. Variety is the essential ingredient that is missing. It is time for Chattanooga leaders to take a look at taxes and ordinances that all local businesses endure to be where they are and make it work. If it means lessening that burden, then do it.
As far as parking problems here, please don’t blame it on food trucks.Though people may not want to walk two or three blocks, they need to get used to it, as residents of cities across this country have done for years.
I hope that our city can grow beyond its current comfort zone, and see the value in supporting food trucks.
Maryon Wright