Yesterday word came down via the Sun-Times food blog that the proposed ordinance to amend the city’s food-truck laws will be introduced to City Council in just a week and a half at the regular council meeting. The ordinance, modeled on food-truck laws from six other cities, was cooked up by chef Matt Maroni with an assist from Lockwood’s Phillip Foss, and the chefs were championed by alderfolks Scott Waguespack and Vi Daley.
While it’s great that things are moving along, it’s not yet time to break out the balloons and rev up your artisanal chile-chocolate-covered-corndog mobile. Waguespack’s staff is still vetting revisions suggested by the city’s health department and is waiting to hear back from Business Affairs. If Vi Daley and Waguespack do in fact submit an ordinance to the council, it’ll be referred to one committee and then bounced around to several others. There’s not going to be a hearing on June 9, there won’t be any testimony from the chefs, and there certainly won’t be a vote.
It’s positive news, but there’s still a long road ahead for food-truck reform.