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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Alex Voigt, Asst. Chief of Staff
Charlie Koch, Asst. Director of Finance, Revenue & Collections
Aurora Fire Prevention Bureau
Deb Lang, Asst. Corporation Council
DATE: February 22, 2018
SUBJECT:
An Ordinance amending Chapter 25 of the City of Aurora Code of Ordinances Entitled "Licenses, Permits and Miscellaneous Business Regulations".
PURPOSE:
The proposed amendment to the current code is to allow Mobile Food Units to begin operating in the City of Aurora on a limited basis and establish uniform regulations for the units.
BACKGROUND:
Over the course of 2017, a team of city staff comprised of representatives from the Mayor's Office, Fire Prevention, Revenue & Collections, Zoning, Neighborhood Standards and Building & Permits worked in conjunction with the Kane County Health Department as well as community and business representatives to create regulations regarding Mobile Food Units (MFU).
The current city code does not contemplate MFU's, which have been operating in various capacities over the years. Ice cream trucks and elotes vendors are long-standing examples, and more recently, food trucks and trailers have continued to gain popularity for use during special events, business promotions and privately-sponsored events. For Aurora, the most significant example of MFU's popularity is the now annual Food Truck Festival, sponsored by Aurora Downtown.
The first Food Truck Festival, held in May of 2016 on Downer Place, was extremely popular. Following the first event, the Fire Department expressed concerns regarding a lack of information about the units as well as the layout of the event. Local business owners expressed concerns about the collection of Food & Beverage Taxes, the impact on sales, etc. In order to respond to and address questions and concerns, city staff began a multi-faceted research process.
The process began by Invest Aurora conducting a survey of all restaurants downtown to survey the impac...
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