By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—After discussion over several meetings, the Paris city commission approved an ordinance overseeing the operation of mobile food trucks. The sticking point throughout months of discussion has been whether to require local food trucks to move regularly. The city does require that food trucks be able to move but that they don’t have to move every day.
The matter had been earlier deferred to allow time for the commissioners members to decide whether or not to limit the length of time a food truck be allowed in one spot, as well as give staff the opportunity to do more research, according to City Manager Kim Foster.
“After reaching out to other small cities in Tennessee”, she said, “it was found that not many have ordinances pertaining to food trucks, and those that do are near to metropolitan areas. Staff could find no ordinances from other cities that limit the amount of time a food truck can stay parked on private property.”
There have been a few changes made by City Attorney Fred McLean to the ordinance based on discussion at city meetings over the past few months.
At the outset of the meeting, Brandy Valentine of Mom’s Kitchen said she opposed the proposal that food trucks move every day. Mom’s Kitchen is currently set up in the NAPA parking lot on Mineral Wells Ave.
Valentine said the owner at NAPA wants the truck to stay in one spot and if the city required them to move regularly, her customers would not know where they were. “Not all of our customers are on Facebook, so they wouldn’t always know where to find us,” she said.
AJ Wimberley has purchased a food truck that will soon be in operation and she suggested that the city have an area for food trucks to congregate, like is done in other cities.
Both Mayor Carlton Gerrell and Commissioner Terry Fuller voiced concern that mobile food trucks remain mobile and be able to move on their own power. “If it stays in one place all the time, it becomes a permanent structure,” Gerrell said.
The Valentines noted that they must move their food truck every couple of days for maintenance purposes and to replenish it with water, as required by the health department.
The commission took another step toward the TDOT requirement of approving an Americans With Disabilities Transition Plan for the city of Paris, which needs to be in place by December 2019. Staff recommended that the mayor sign a contract for services between the city and TLM Associates. TLM and Hurst-Rosche responded to the city’s advertisements to prepare the plan for the city. Staff said TLM’s proposal was most qualified and their firm was more accessible.
In other business:
–The commission forwarded rezoning requests from Mike Garner for property at 246 Memorial Drive, and from Harland Crawford for property on Russell Street, to the planning commission.
Garner is requesting rezoning property from B-3 to TRB because a potential buyer wants the property to remain residential. Crawford is requesting rezoning of property at 600 Russell Street from M-2 to B-1because he wants to develop the property for retail sales.
–The city approved the request from the BPU for a series of rate increases over a two-year period. The BPU approved it late last month and it has been discussed at several meetings. The rate increases would go into effect July 1 of 2019 and 2020 respectively. The total increase for the average water consumer will be $4.75 per month after the second increase. The proposed rate increase will be the final increase associated with the Consent Order requirements.
BPU General Manager Terry Wimberley said there will be relief for customers in the future and said local rates are still lower than many other utility customers.
Wimberley thanked the mayor and commission for its leadership and willingness to tackle difficult issues and projects.
Photo: Brandy Valentine, left, and AJ Wimberley, right, spoke on the food truck issue at tonight’s meeting. (Shannon McFarlin photo).
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