The Casper City Council will be hosting public comment on a proposed ordinance that would establish rules for the use of public parking areas by mobile vendors, like food trucks, within Casper City limits.
The proposed ordinance would establish regulations on mobile vendors using public spaces, during their day-to-day operations.
The Casper City Council packet contains a revised version of the Mobile Vendor Parking Permit, dated March 23rd, that outlines rules for mobile vendors city-wide including:
- No vehicle or trailer shall be allowed to operate under an MVPP on any given block face for more than 8-days in any thirty day period.
- No vehicle or trailer shall be allowed to operate under an MVPP, on any given block face, for more than two consecutive days.
- Only one MVPP will be issued for any given block face of a public street on any given day.
- Garbage collection will be the responsibility of the permit holder.
The permits would not be required for any mobile vendor that is parked within an area on a street that has been closed or partially closed per any city-issued street closure permit. The MVPP also prohibits the vendor from parking on parkways, in handicap zones, loading zones, school-related critical parking zones, fire lanes, bus stops, or similarly restrict special parking spaces.
If the ordinance is passed, applications for MVPPs must be submitted at least five days prior to the requested date, but no more than two weeks in advance. The applications will be reviewed by a designee of the city manager and will take into account traffic impacts, public safety impacts, inconvenience to the surrounding neighborhood, availability of appropriate parking spaces, number of similar permits previously approved, past compliance with MVPP permit regulations, and past compliance with applicable laws.
Special stipulations for Downtown and Old Yellowstone District are also included. Specifically for that area, MVPPs will only allow vendors to park in designated spaces in between the hours of 6:00 pm and 3:00 am, the following day.
Downtown MVPPs would also have to be sponsored by a downtown business owner, downtown business manager, or property owner, and the location of the business or property must be within 100 feet of the nearest rented parking space. The permitting fee is proposed to be set at $25 per parking space occupied on a street in the downtown area.
Casper City Manager Carter Napier notes in a memo to council, recommending approval of the ordinance, that consideration of the issue began in October of 2017, when local business Frontier Brewing began to host weekly food truck events on East 2nd Street.
“There is a national trend of food trucks becoming more prominent in the food and beverage industry,” Napier writes. “Cities are having to ensure that food trucks are being managed appropriately both in terms of their compliance with public health regulations, and also in regards to their impacts on traffic and the local restaurant industry.”
City Council was first presented with a draft of the Mobile Vendor Parking Permit at the January 9th, 2018 work session meeting, in City Hall. Napier says that City Staff then met with stakeholders to discuss the issue on two different occasions. It is noted that the MVPP underwent several revisions before the one that the public will have the option to comment on tonight.
Naiper also notes that the ordinance would apply to all mobile vendors, not just food trucks.
It is unknown as to how the ordinance would affect large events, like Casper’s annual Lemonade Day. During the event, children are encouraged to take part in the operation of lemonade stands throughout the city, including in the Downtown area and the Old Yellowstone District.
The issue of the Mobile Vendor Parking Permit has been a point of contention among citizens, business owners, and food truck operators on social media. One food truck, On the Hook, which serves fish and chips out of their labeled truck, posted on Facebook inviting their patrons to reach out to Casper City Council, comparing the ordinance to an outright ban.
“The city council is voting on a new ordinance that would effectively ban food trucks in and around the downtown area and make it very difficult to operate in the rest of Casper,” On The Hook wrote. Then supplying the email addresses of all of the members of Casper City Council.
City council members have also voiced their positions on social media. In the Facebook comments section for a recent Oil City story about food trucks, City Council members Dallas Laird and Jesse Morgan said that they were in favor of food trucks. However Councilperson Shawn Johnson voiced some concern.
“Nobody is against food trucks or even food trucks downtown, what I am against is parking a food truck in front of an already established brick and mortar restaurant taking up public parking without any kind of regulation whatsoever,” Johnson wrote in a comment from March 28th. “I am for free market competition but in this situation it’s not fair competition.”
Public comment will be taken on the Mobile Vendor Parking Permit’s during the City Council meeting tonight, April 3rd, 2018. The city council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.
The Council Policy on public statements is as follows:
- Clearly state your name and address
- Direct all questions and comments to the Mayor and only the Mayor
- No personal attacks on staff or Council
- Speak to the City Council with civility or decorum
Casper City Council meetings are held at City Hall, 200 N David St, Casper, WY 82601. Meetings are also broadcast live through the City of Casper’s website, The City of Casper YouTube page, and through local cable on channel 192.
Editors Note: Oil City‘s publisher Shawn Houck is a co-owner of Frontier Brewing Company and Taproom. Houck had no editorial input into this story.
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