SAFFORD — After nearly 40 minutes of discussion Monday, the Safford City Council isn’t ready to allow for food trucks to establish a permanent location in the city. However, the council is ready to relax some of restrictions on the trucks’ operators.
City Code limits food truck operations to commercial and industrial areas. Trucks may not operate in public areas — except under an exemption for events — but may operate on private property with permission of the land owner. And food trucks may not take up multiple parking spaces if the loss of those spaces would cause a business to run afoul of the city’s parking requirements.
The city currently limits food trucks to operate no more than 48 hours at a time, and cannot be in a single location for more than 10 days per year. In addition to a $50 city business license, food trucks are also required to obtain a $50 temporary use permit for each location.
“Whenever they do come to us first, for their business license, and then we send them to see Susan (Anderson, Planning director), and once they learn what those requirements are, the majority of them pull their business license application. They don’t even follow through with it because of those strict requirements,” said City Clerk Tamara Webster.
City Councilman Steve McGaughey suggested eliminating the hour limitation, instead simply defining the number of days at a location.
City Manager John Cassella said staff would come back with proposed changes to the city’s ordinance, clearly defining the limitations on days of operation, as well as making the temporary use permit process “less onerous.”
