A food truck is present in Somerville from Davis Square’s Kickass Cupcakes. – Photo by Kristin Chalmers Photography

By Cathleen Twardzik

At a recent Legislative Matters Committee meeting in Somerville, the agenda included a discussion about allowing food trucks to be licensed in the city.

The issue was first articulated by the city earlier in 2012. “There was a public hearing held at that meeting where we took testimonies of different folks. The main point on this is, do we let these trucks into central business districts when they may hurt other businesses that are established there, or do we let them in at just certain times?  How do we keep up the inspections of these trucks with health inspectors if they have a hard time getting to the restaurants that they’re supposed to get to?” said Bruce Desmond, Alderman at Large.

The discussion at the meeting involved the formation of a task force to research the “best practices” for the initiative’s completion, which would occur next year; the “municipal” restrictions of food trucks; a guarantee of the economic strength of Union Square and Davis Square, starting with a pilot program; the importance of regulation; the offer of a fair process, which would be “relative” to locations; and the “effects” on existing businesses, according to the meeting minutes.

Various aspects of the proposed ordinance were explored. Among them were the regulation of state-licensed food vendors; their definitions; the crucial nature of background checks; the effect of the ordinance on current mobile food vendors, all of whom are already operating in Somerville; the hours of operation; the nutritional grading of the food, meals and other taxes; the funding which is needed to support the initiative; the license fees; and cleanliness.

The law department was requested to scrutinize the prospect of requiring real estate taxes to be paid by the locations which will be used, as well as to investigate which additional permits may be compulsory.

“I am also concerned [about] the system to award these licenses. I am not sure first come, first served should be the system, and possibly a discussion about benefits to Somerville and a ‘cap’ would be valuable,” said Ward 1 Alderman William Roche.

It is essential to note that, “There are some food trucks better equipped than most restaurants, and some that pollute the air around them with exhaust fumes, etc. I only want state-of-the-art technology equipped trucks,” he said.

Although Roche has some concerns about food trucks, he will attend “the hearings with an open mind with my constituents’ best interests in mind.”

“Because this item remains in committee, it will be up to the Board of Aldermen to decide whether to approve a pilot program and to decide what criteria will be used. The city will provide the information they have requested in order to make those determinations,” said Tom Champion, City Spokesman.

“How are [the trucks] taxed?  I can see where they could be an asset to a community, but we need to make sure that we can control” what the trucks are allowed to do, according to Desmond.

Additional individuals who were present at the meeting showed concern about the food trucks venturing into residential neighborhoods.

“My personal view is that food trucks can be a constructive and successful addition to the Somerville dining and street-life scene. My hope is that we can give them a meaningful tryout that allows them to operate in our squares and adjacent to our parks. I’m also very open to the idea that food trucks be allowed to operate well into the evening in high-traffic areas where there is already late-night activity. At the same time, I want to make sure that food trucks operating in Somerville engage with the city on our Shape Up Somerville initiative by offering healthy menu items that are consistent with the types of cuisine they serve,” said Mayor Curtatone, in a July 11 statement.