SURF CITY — Residents for and against food trucks operating within city limits will have an opportunity to voice their opinions Monday night.
Town officials have canceled a workshop meeting scheduled for this Friday in favor of Monday’s public hearing to debate the town’s inconsistent implementation of a roadside peddler ordinance that some have argued is unclear to begin with.
After a closed session was held at the end of a town council meeting on Nov. 7, Mayor Doug Medlin called for a motion to hold the public hearing.
RELATED: Surf City restaurant owners calling for a ban on food trucks, but not everyone agrees
“The Town Council is requesting all concerned citizens and business owners to come and voice their opinions and/or concerns regarding a ordinance to regulate or prohibit the regulation of food trucks within the town limits. Please arrive prior to the start of the meeting and signup if you wish to speak on the topic of concern,” the town’s Facebook page read.
An increasingly heated debate among business owners of Surf City has spread to social media forums in the past weeks. Comments below the town’s Facebook post helped summarize these opposing viewpoints.
“A small town should support small businesses!!” Kris Wilson wrote. “Free market and more choices are always a good thing! Shame on local restaurant owners for trying to snuff out the competition … consumers will remember who you are and patronize more friendly establishments!”
“This is not just about food trucks,” Andy Chambers wrote. “This ordinance pertains to any mobile vendor being allowed to come in town, not contribute to the infrastructure of the town, profit and leave. Furthermore, if people truly believe that it will contribute to the local economy, what about all the jobs provided by brick and mortar that trucks do not?
Mark Darrough can be reached at Mark@Localvoicemedia.com
