DELAWARE, Ohio — Food trucks could soon make their way into parks in the city of Delaware, however, a decades-old ordinance stands in the way.
A new ordinance is currently under consideration by the Delaware City Council which would replace an existing ordinance passed in 1976 that effectively bans the trucks from doing business in city parks.
The existing ordinance says the following:
933.15. - Concessions in City parks.
No concession operations shall be allowed to vend or offer for sale any goods, foods, wares, merchandise, produce or supplies in any Municipal Park without being granted a franchise from Council. Any such franchise shall set forth rules, regulations and a franchise fee. Catering service for group functions held in the Mingo Park Pool Complex is exempt from this section.
(Ord. 76-43. Passed 6-14-76)
"We saw a lot of requests for food trucks and the way our ordinance reads now, we weren't allowed to allow them into the parks,” said Ted Miller, Parks and Recreation director for the city of Delaware.
Food trucks have come into the spotlight in recent years in terms of popularity. Columbus is welcoming dozens of the mobile restaurants this weekend for the Food Truck Festival.
Miller said it’s time to get with the times and give people more options when it comes to visiting the city’s parks.
"This summer is when we really got a lot of requests for the food trucks in the parks, so that's kind of what pushed us into this,” he said.
Miller said while they missed being able to get the ordinance changed for the summer season, he is optimistic it will be changed in time for some of the fall activities at parks like Mingo, Blue Limestone and Veterans Park.
Maura Atwater, board president of the Delaware Cooperative Preschool, is a frequent visitor of the city parks. She said bringing food trucks in for festivals and the preschool’s beginning and end-of-the-year celebrations could be a game changer for families.
“It's our cooperative's 40th year and we started in Mingo Park as a Parks and Rec program, so it feels like a homecoming every time we're able to organize an event here. So tying in local food truck vendors is just a bonus,” she said.
While Delaware also has restrictions on food trucks selling in their downtown area, Miller said that for now, his and the council’s focus is on the city parks. Allowing the trucks into other parts of the city may come later.
He said the city has taken a page from other communities around the state to make things a bit easier for them. For example, a truck that passes the requirements in Columbus would be welcome to operate in Delaware without any other hurdles.
The ordinance to replace the old code had its first reading on Aug. 14. There must be at least one more reading with a public comment. That public comment is set for the council meeting on Aug. 28.