Food fight

COEUR d'ALENE - City officials heard a common cry from several food truck owners who attended a public workshop held Wednesday at City Hall: "Why mess with something when it works so well?"

The workshop was hosted by the city as elected officials and staff members grapple with whether to create an ordinance regulating the growing food truck industry.

"The city needs to list its concerns and justifications for any rules or regulations," Councilman Dan Gookin told The Press following the meeting. "I believe these concerns were well-stated today, specifically with regards to traffic, access for emergency vehicles, fire safety inspections, wastewater disposal, and just to know who is where doing what."

The discussion, which took place in the Old Council Chambers at City Hall, revolved around three topics:

* Types of mobile concessions in the city, and classifying those types

* Public health and safety

* Public and private spaces

Participants quickly raised questions when City Planner Sean Holm presented a proposal to break down the types of mobile concessions into five groups. Gookin told the Press that questions about these distinctions, and how they may affect the ways vendors can do business in the city, are common.

"A line needs to be established between permanent structures - such as espresso stands - and something that can be moved, even if it won't be moved," Gookin said. "I believe the mobile merchants would like to know the rules as well; it's one of the first questions they ask the city when they go to do business. As these types of businesses proliferate around the county, it's growing more common for cities to have rules and regulations. The city is keeping pace with changing times."

Dale Peck, a divisionadministrator with the Panhandle Health District, echoed the concerns of food truck vendors when it came to the city's proposal of a "permanent mobile" classification for vendors which can move but traditionally stay in the same location year-round. Under the city's proposal, these "permanent mobile" vendors would be required to connect their businesses to city sewer and water services.

Requiring a mobile vendor to be connected, Peck said, would remove its state classification as a mobile facility and force the mobile vendor to meet the requirements of a full-fledged restaurant.

"Many of them wouldn't be able to do that," Peck said. "It would eliminate some of them."

State laws call for food establishment licensure and inspections. Idaho's seven health districts are charged with implementing those laws.

"Whether it's mobile or a fixed facility, it's covered under statute and we do the same inspection and licensure for any and all food establishments," Peck said.

Peck added that anyone serving potentially hazardous foods has to be licensed through the health district.

Mobile food establishments do not have the same state guidelines as a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant. For example, Peck said, a restaurant not classified as mobile must have a connection to a sewer line, an authorized drinking water source, and a restroom for workers.

Peck added that his department doesn't have a position on the ordinance, but it does want to make sure the rules are properly and consistently applied.

Gookin said nothing has been decided when it comes to the next step in the process of creating the ordinance. He applauded the feedback city officials received at the workshop.

"I believe it helped focus staff on what's needed," Gookin said. "The city might set another meeting with merchants or a council workshop."