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The Daily Tar Heel
Town Talk

Town council pushes back food truck vote again

A number of often-aired issues found their way into the Chapel Hill Town Council’s discussion again Monday night.

The council decided that the town’s proposed food trucks ordinance, which would have allowed the trucks to vend in town, will come to a vote this January after months of discussion and multiple public hearings.

“I’m frustrated that it has taken this long for the council to once again defer the item,” said council member Laurin Easthom, who also said she would like to see the issue move forward because she supports the idea. “I’m frustrated that we’re not at a point where we can make a decision.”

Council member Donna Bell said she values the food variety food trucks offer — explaining that the venues reintroduced her to one of her old favorite foods: okra.

“I can get barbeque lots of places, but I can get fried okra one particular place,” she said.

She said food trucks will fill in spaces to keep people moving down Franklin Street.

But council members also voiced concern over the challenges and costs of enforcing food truck rules, since it would require round-the-clock monitoring.

The council will also hold a public hearing in February on a rule that could ban drivers in Chapel Hill from talking on cellphones. The measure would impose a $25 fine on anyone pulled over while talking on a phone.

It would be a secondary offense — someone could not be pulled over for talking on a phone. But members already expressed reservations about how logistics for the ordinance would work, and about whether it would even be effective.

“I’m not sure an ordinance is the right way to educate the public,” said council member Gene Pease.

Notable

The council also discussed vacancies in town staff, including public safety vacancies.

“We can’t sustain the high level of service carrying nine to 10 percent vacancies. We just can’t do it any longer,” Town Manager Roger Stancil said.

Caroline Watkins and Florence Bryan contributed reporting

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