City discusses changing food truck laws

Clarification: No new fees are being proposed. The current ordinances require any mobile food vendor operating in Tiffin to apply, along with a $50 fee, to obtain a license to operate. The current ordinances also require any mobile food vendor wanting to operate on City property to apply for a permit and pay a fee of $25 per week. The proposed changes do not include any changes to those fees. TIFFIN — Tiffin city council began discussions about potential changes to city laws regarding food trucks Monday. The changes could include updates to chapter 723 of city law, which includes mobile food preparation vehicles, vendors, definitions, purposes, licensures and operations. Some changes are required due to upcoming updates to state fire codes, which are anticipated to take effect in the 'late summer', according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. According to a document from the Division of State Fire Marshal, the significant changes to food trucks will be a new operational permit and new requirements such as portable fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detection and regulation for emergency shut-off controls. If passed, changes to the city's laws could include a $50 per year permit application fee and a $25 per week fee to operate on city property for a minimum of one week and a maximum of one month. During the public comment section of the meeting, Jami Fadley, operator of JAM's Markets and Golda's YUMobile food truck, attended to express her concerns about the $25 per week fee to operate on city property. "The idea when I opened her (the food truck), was just to have her basically around the market," Fadley said. "It has never been my intention to travel with her. It's been a large investment, around $30,000. It's not just a penny in a bucket. I rent the building that I'm in. I pay $2,800 a month to rent the building and that does not include utilities. That does not include my personal bills, that doesn't include anything beyond rent." Fadley shared that when she opened her food truck, she was told that because she is a business owner, she was allowed to park her trailer outside the business. "I built my business model on that," she continued. "$100 a month for someone like me, it may seem silly, but that's one more bill I have to pay. Having such strict rules and possible confusion, it makes jobs for people like me harder. Having those strict rules will make it harder to get food trucks to come to town. I think the better food we can get, the better trucks we can get, the better Tiffin can be for events and such." Mayor Lee Wilkinson thanked Fadley for sharing her thoughts and expressed that it is important to hear from food truck owners about the proposed changes. "I know it's not city council's role to make a hardship on any business, whether its brick and mortar or mobile," Wilkinson said. "That's not the intention and we're trying to steer away from any unintended consequences that might result in that. The policy as its written right now needs to be further clarified as far as a couple things (such as) the fee and the location rules." There was no vote on the ordinance that would make changes to the law, as Monday was the first reading of the legislation. City council requires three readings of a resolution or ordinance before it is passed, although council can vote to suspend the three-reading rule. In other news Council passed the following resolutions and ordinances: Resolutions 25-28: approving Mayor's appointment of Brenda Young to serve an unexpired term on the Tree Commission from the effective date of this resolution until December 31, 2025 25-29: authorizing the mayor to modify the purchase agreement with the sellers of the real property on Water Street and declaring an emergency Ordinances 25-44: Ordinance 2025-44 AN ORDINANCE amending Section 135.13 of the Codified Ordinances to adopt updated fixed assets accounting policies and declaring an emergency 25-45: expanding the boundaries of Community Reinvestment Area Number 5, originally established in Ordinance No. 16-4 and declaring an emergency 25-47: amending the 2025 Budget Ordinance 24-94 to appropriate funds into the Street Department Budget 25-48: amending the 2025 Budget Ordinance 24-94 to appropriate funds into the Main Interceptor Fund, Inflow Reduction Basin 9-13 & 15 Fund, CSO 18, 19, 23, 33 and 37 Fund, ODNR Division of Forestry Fund, Abbreviated Safety Grant Fund, ODNR Park Projects Fund and to approve the return of the advances to the sewer and general funds The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, June 16, at Tiffin City Hall, 51 E. Market St., in council chambers.