Scranton is planning to regulate food trucks that have proliferated downtown to strike a balance between the mobile kitchens and establishments that have complained about the trucks amounting to unfair competition, city council President Janet Evans said Thursday during council's meeting.
Mayor Chris Doherty's administration sent to council three draft ordinances on the matter that would repeal and replace a 2009 ordinance and amend the city code, because they do not specifically address food trucks, Mrs. Evans said.
The 2009 ordinance, which provides for payment of annual license fees for public eating and drinking establishments and establishes annual application and renewal requirements and other items, would be repealed and replaced with an updated ordinance, she said.
Sections of the city code governing peddling and soliciting would be amended to define food trucks and carts, set their hours of operation and allowable proximity to brick-and-mortar food establishments and establish annual license fees, she said.
The draft ordinances, which are still under review by council solicitor Boyd Hughes, may be up for introduction by council on May 2, advancement on second reading on May 9 and adoption on May 16, Mrs. Evans said.
She offered council chambers as a meeting place for owners/operators of food trucks and restaurants to discuss the matter and provide their input to council for consideration. A date has not been set.
"I ask any interested owners of eating or drinking establishments in the city to meet with owners of food trucks and food carts to discuss the ordinances proposed by the administration and offer council chambers as a location for this dialogue," Mrs. Evans said. "My hope is to see these businesses arrive at a solution that is fair to each of them. I firmly believe that all businesses should be welcomed in our city. Further, they should complement, not cancel out, one another."
The food-truck dispute arose last month when Councilman Bob McGoff said some restaurants had expressed concerns about food trucks parking for extended periods and questioned whether they operate under the same regulations as brick-and-mortar establishments. Food trucks paying for all-day parking meters conflicts with a city ordinance mandating only a two-hour meter limit, council members have said.
Council also voted 5-0, with Mrs. Evans, Mr. McGoff and Councilmen Frank Joyce, Jack Loscombe and Pat Rogan all in favor, to introduce an amendment to an ordinance approving the transfer of $287,000 in four federal Community Development Block Grant allocations to fix a crumbling wall and sidewalks of a West Lackawanna Avenue bridge.
To cobble together funds for bridge repairs, the administration and Office of Economic and Community Development have proposed transferring $32,000 from West Side Falcons Youth Organization's paving and roof repairs, $25,000 from a North Scranton Little League playground project, $30,000 from a vacant-property review committee and $200,000 from demolition of blighted structures.
Council members said that while they introduced the transfers, Mr. Loscombe and Mr. Rogan are going to review CDBG allocations to hopefully find other funds that could be tapped instead and/or mitigate impacts of transfers.
"These are worthy projects and worthy groups that were funded," Mr. Rogan said. "Hopefully, there is a middle ground that can be found here."
Mr. Loscombe, who raised the issue of the bridge's crumbling walkways two years ago and again last month, said, "I do not want to see some of these worthy projects that we had placed in there stripped away. I believe we will be able to work something out for everybody's interest. We do have some homework to do."
In other matters, council voted 5-0 on each of the following:
n To introduce a resolution authorizing the West Scranton Hyde Park Neighborhood Watch program to apply for an "Elm Street" designation under the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
n To introduce a resolution asking the state Department of Transportation to make temporary traffic signals at Cedar Avenue, Orchard Street and the ramps for the Central Scranton Expressway permanent fixtures.
n To introduce a resolution to lease from Horsepower Harley-Davidson of Williamsport five 2009 police package motorcycles at a cost of $295 per month for all five. The lease agreement begins June 1 and ends May 31, 2014.
n To advance on second reading an ordinance to transfer $880 in old tax anticipation note funds to general checking, and close out the TAN accounts that are no longer needed.
n To advance on second reading an ordinance to establish a no-parking zone along the borders of "Pretzel Park" in the 1700 block of North Washington Avenue, the 1100 block of Electric Street and the 1800 block of Wyoming Avenue. Vehicles parking in these areas are causing traffic and pedestrian hazards by compromising minimum safe-sight distances for traffic and pedestrians.
n To adopt a resolution authorizing a memorandum of understanding between the city and the U.S. Department of the Army's Scranton Army Ammunition Plant regarding parking. The agreement calls for the city to allow during certain high-security times parking by plant employees along Mattes Avenue and River Street, where no-parking signs exist. The parking restriction in this area would be lifted during an alert level called "Force Protection Condition DELTA," which is the highest personnel readiness level for the Department of Defense, and when all vehicles entering the plant must first receive a comprehensive and time-consuming inspection. Plant employee vehicles would be allowed to park on the street outside the plant in the no-parking zone during a DELTA alert, so the cars don't have to go through the inspections.
n To adopt a resolution authorizing the Scranton-Lackawanna Health and Welfare Authority to issue up to $3 million in tax-free revenue bonds to finance a capital project of the nonprofit St. Mary's Villa Nursing Home Inc. It would use the funds to acquire and improve a 64-bed personal-care facility at 1 Pioneer Place in Elmhurst Twp. While city approval is needed, there is no financial liability to the city in approving the resolution, and it would not pledge or obligate the credit or taxing power of the city, officials said.
n To adopt a resolution accepting the recommendation of the Historical Architecture Review Board approving the replacement of a sign on a building at 414 Spruce St. The sign is being replaced with one of the same dimensions and color scheme, but with a different name, due to a change in the business's name at that location to "Steam Cafe & Lounge."
In other matters:
n Mr. McGoff said the U.S. flag flying over the Vietnam veterans monument in Nay Aug Park is gone. It was unclear if it was missing or in the process of being replaced, and council will find out. Mr. Rogan said if the city does not have a replacement flag, he would buy one. Mrs. Evans said she has a flag that was given to her by an Army officer who served in Afghanistan that she could donate if needed.
n Mr. Joyce said the city currently has $9.9 million in cash in the bank and $490,000 in "accounts payable," or bills. The city is currently receiving a lot of real-estate taxes and refuse fees, but in coming months that will slow down, he said.
n Mr. McGoff said the city's new rental registration program so far this year has generated $99,500 in rental fees. The city budgeted to receive $100,000 in such fees this year, he said.
Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter