Saline City Council Upholds Ordinance, Denies Food Trucks at Little League Baseball Tournament

On a night of unanimous votes, the one issue that split Saline City Council came on a request to allow food trucks at the Saline Slam Baseball Tournament.

Saline Area Youth Baseball and Softball asked the city to allow food trucks at Tefft Part, beside the Rec Center June 4, 5 and 6. Gregory Gilchrist said the youth baseball organization wanted permission to have a truck serving Kona Ice and permission for other food trucks at Tefft Park and the Woodland Meadows baseball diamond. The Summer Slam baseball tournament was expected to draw more than 60 baseball teams to Saline and raise funds for youth baseball.

In his letter to council, Gilchrist wrote that food trucks are convenient for attendees and a potential fundraiser for SAYBS as the organization planned to negotiate profit-sharing arrangements.

But the city's ordinance on "mobile food vending" restricts where food trucks can operate. One place they can't operate is properties zoned R-1A (residential zoning), which is how the Rec Center and Tefft Park are zoned. Based on the zoning issue, Assistant City Manager Mike Greene recommended the council deny the request.

Councillor Dawn Krause raised questions about the ordinance and past enforcement.

"Is not Mill Pond Park zoned R1A as well? Don't we have food trucks at the Celtic Festival?" Krause asked. "My problem with this is this is where government gets in the way of citizens and what might be neat to happen."

Krause said she understood that restrictions in the ordinance are meant in part to protect brick-and-mortar businesses.

"But in this instance, these families are not going to pack up all their kids and go eat at Brecon or Mac's. And so I actually do have a problem with this," Krause said. "I think we need to start rethinking some of these things."

Mayor Brian Marl said Krause's points were well taken, but he said the Celtic Festival is an official city event and so a waiver is granted.

Councillor Jim Dell'Orco said he appreciated Krause's comments, but sided to stick with the ordinance.

"We have zoning ordinances for a reason. We can open up ourselves to a lot of potential problems if we were to allow this. So I will accept the recommendation of Assistant City Manager Greene," Dell'Orco said.

Councillor Janet Dillon questioned adhering to a zoning ordinance because she did not think the "Rec Center is considered a neighborhood." Dillon also said she's seen food trucks in neighborhoods at private parties. She noted Saline High School allows food trucks and said people may look for other venues to hold events if the city will not accommodate people.

Councillor Jack Ceo said he and his grandsons recently used a food truck at a baseball tournament. He found it convenient. He agreed with Dillon's assessment that a food truck at the Rec Center wouldn't bother anyone.

"It's not like the Rec Center is surrounded by neighborhoods that are going to be impacted by having food trucks there," Ceo said.

But, Ceo said, he was inclined to stick with the ordinance.

"I think if we begin to make too many waivers in our ordinances we get ourselves in trouble," Ceo said.

He called for the Code Review Task Force to review the ordinance. Mayor Marl agreed with Ceo. Dell'Orco said the task force would certainly study the issue.

Councillor Kevin Camero-Sulak asked if there was precedence for the city allowing food trucks in areas where the ordinance does not permit them. Greene said he was not aware, since there have been no requests during his tenure. Mayor Brian Marl said he did not recall a previous request.

"I don't see any reason to go against that," Camero-Sulak said. "I think the zoning is a good measure."

Councillor Dean Girbach motioned to not approve the request. It was seconded by Councillor Camero-Sulak.

Girbach, Camero-Sulak, Ceo and Dell'Orco voted in favor of the motion to not approve the food trucks. Marl, Krause and Dillon voted against the motion.

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