Aldermen bantered on the need for additional food truck slots along US 62 during the Dec. 13 city council meeting. The discussion came up due to a property with an established food truck vendor having lost the lottery draw during the last city council meeting in November.
Alderman Melissa Greene opened the conversation saying the loss of the space in 2022 at the community center and subsequently the farmers’ market would be a loss for the city. She said she felt food trucks did not cut into the traffic of brick-and-mortar establishments and that food trucks serve a role of quick food for workers. Greene suggested the addition of three more lottery slots for the section of Hwy. 62 to 23.
Aldermen Bill Ott and Autumn Slane were quick to agree on the importance of food trucks. City Clerk Ann Armstrong said that Greene’s suggestion was a good fix for the problem of too few spaces being available but took time to explain other ways food trucks were allowed in city code including festivals, private events, and spaces at Lake Leatherwood that Parks could approve of.
There was discussion on the efficacy of the lottery and alderman Terry McClung said that the allocation of spaces should continue to be a lottery and that council “Can’t bend every time the wind blows.”
Alderman Harry Meyer was the only dissenting voice to additional spaces in 2022 saying that the new spaces should be added to the lottery for 2023.
The motion to have language drafted for the additional three spaces was approved with Meyer voting No. The language will include having an immediate lottery for the additional spaces should the ordinance be approved.
Parks looking for wider participation
Aldermen were quick to approve Ord. 2317 through three readings that amends member qualifications of the Parks Commission to allow two members to serve “at-large” positions and be from outside the corporate limits of Eureka Springs provided they live in the western district of the county. The Parks Commission has had difficulty filling in vacancies and sought the change to enlist a greater portion of the public to join.
Greene invoked the emergency clause of the ordinance as well to make the change immediate.
Aldermen also approved a resolution to allow Parks to trade a U25 excavator for a U17 excavator with a company that had done trail work. Trails Coordinator Sam Dudley explained that the U17 was under warranty for one more year unlike their U25, and that the prices were comparable. The U17 would be smaller and better fit the already built trails in Lake Leatherwood. Dudley said that the company that was open to trade felt the U25 would better suit their needs to move larger rocks.
Other Items
- A Resolution to amend Res. 810 pass unanimously, establishing bonuses to city employees who worked through the pandemic. Mayor Butch Berry explained that the original had missed several employees. The total amount in bonuses raised from $93,000 to $113,000.
- 2316 to vacate a portion of Paxos Street between blocks 12 and 13 of the Freeman addition passes through first and second reading.
- In Public Comments, Ferguson Stewart implored locals to donate food for those in need to Cup of Love Ministries, Flint Street Food Bank or the First Baptist Penn Memorial.
- The city council meeting scheduled for Dec. 27 was cancelled. The next meeting will be Jan.10, 2022.