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Food trucks may become issue in East Palestine

EAST PALESTINE — Interest from a potential food truck vendor has village council considering whether it should implement regulations.

Interim Village Manager Traci Spratt told council she received a phone call from a food truck owner in Pennsylvania who was interested in setting up at the park.

Spratt said the owner was wondering if there were any rules and regulations in place for food trucks, and Spratt said there were not.

Acting Mayor Alan Cohen said several other communities have food truck regulations, and pointed out that the city of Canfield charges a $100 annual fee while the city of Columbiana charges a $300 annual fee as part of its regulations.

Cohen also said that if they were to consider regulations they would need to determine where food trucks would be allowed to set up in the village.

“You need something. The question is, how much do we want,” he said with regards to regulations. “We want to promote them and not scare them away.”

Cohen then suggested that an exception should be made for food trucks that set up during special events, like the Fourth of July, that in turn benefit the village, since those food trucks pay a $40 fee to the park board.

Councilman Doug Simpson opposed that idea, and said that any regulations should be enforced “across the board.”

No action was taken during the discussion.

Council then took action on the following:

— Establishing a police department fund and fire department fund to receive revenue from the .5 percent income tax increase.

— Amending section 246.02 codified ordinance for changes to fire department personnel in response to the .5 percent income tax revenue.

— Giving a first reading to legislation allowing for the editing and updating of the village’s codified ordinances through American Legal Publishing (a yearly housekeeping measure).

— Giving a first reading to legislation authorizing the purchase of nearly .5 acres of property required for the sewer plant upgrades at the negotiated price of $9,000.

— Giving a first reading to legislation establishing a new fund known as the Fire Loss Emergency fund. The fund is for the purpose of receiving and disbursing funds received from insurance companies to assure that damaged properties are properly restored or demolished. Spratt explained that this money previously went into the general fund, but the new fund was recommended by the state auditor.

kwhite@mojonews.com

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