All Eureka Springs aldermen were present Monday for the final vote of Ord. 2283, which enables the city to establish permanent and temporary Entertainment Districts for age-appropriate alcohol consumption on city streets.
As expected, the ordinance was approved with the vote of 4-2, aldermen Harry Meyer and Mickey Schneider opposed. Council also invoked the emergency clause to facilitate upcoming events such as OctoberFest, where drinking alcohol on city streets has previously been overlooked by law enforcement. Alderman Bob Thomas stated this would remedy what has been a problem in the past.
Hand-in-hand with 2283’s approval was council’s triple vote in favor of Ord. 2286, which clarifies the use of food trucks and/or food trailers at special events.
Organizers for events such as the upcoming Zombie Crawl have been awaiting this vote in order to meet the demand of food services for events that bring in larger than normal crowds. The ordinance clarifies that food trucks are allowed to be located on approved lottery properties – there are currently four locations in the city.
The food truck lottery location that holds the most promise for more than one food truck in the downtown area is the parking lot adjacent to Chelsea’s. Zombie Crawl organizer Jeff Danos said he has been awaiting this vote for this year’s highly anticipated event.
Mayor Butch Berry also provided the results of the food truck survey, which indicated an 80 percent vote of support in favor of food trucks from local brick and mortar restaurateurs. It should be noted, however, that of the 71 solicited surveys sent out, only 15 restaurants responded; a 21 percent response rate.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium.