Montgomery City Council changes rules for food trucks

Food trucks can now plug into outside power sources instead of relying on only mobile generators, the Montgomery City Council agreed in a vote Tuesday to revise the city code.

Under the old city code, food trucks were required to have their own power instead of plugging into on-site power. "The ordinance basically said that food trucks could only operate using a generator," city attorney Stacy Bellinger said. "But we have a set-up even outside City Hall where they can plug into a utility pole.

"This is just revising the ordinance to allow outside electrical sources."

Andrew Szymanski, who co-owns Hilltop Public House in Cottage Hill, said the change will allow his business and others to form partnerships with food trucks and help to grow new concepts on site. He said cities from Birmingham to Nashville to Austint have similar rules in place and have fostered these kinds of partnerships.

Szymanski said that kind of landscape can also nurture up-and-coming culinary talent within the city. "There needs to be an interim step between a cottage licensed business and a full-scale brick and mortar," he said.

Councilman Clay McInnis pushed for the change, which passed unanimously. He called the prohibitive nature of the old ordinance an unintentional "mistake."

"It's just a logical change," McInnis said.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery City Council changes rules for food trucks Tuesday