07-03-2025
This bill could help food truck vendors statewide, here's how:
TEXAS (KMID/KPEJ)- The 89th Texas Legislative session is fully underway as the Texas House and Senate continue to decide what new laws will go into effect.
Of the more than 6,000 bills that have been introduced this session so far, House Bill 2683 is the only one that will help the fast-growing food truck industry.
'What this does is it provides freedom for food truck operators in terms of the permitting process, especially in a place like ours here in the Permian Basin where you have multiple cities and multiple counties that a food truck may serve,' said state representative Brooks Landgraf. 'Rather than forcing those operators to get different permits in each jurisdiction that they're in, what if we just had one statewide permit that would allow them to operate legally and in compliance with certain health and safety regulations.'
We recently sat down with Odessa city councilman, Craig Stoker. Who touched on the city's impact on local food truck vendors.
Stoker Q&A
What are the current city ordinances the city has in effect for food truck vendors?
'So right now, looking at the city ordinances, you've got about three different iterations that have been put together that are about three, five, and seven years old. And so what we're doing is looking at those and trying to decide, what role does the city have in enforcing any of it? What role does the county play? And what role should we play? So we are currently working with the fire marshal's office to make sure that what we're writing into the ordinance follows the international fire codes that the fire department follows.'
What are your thoughts on House Bill 2683?
'It just makes sense… I've been in talks with some of the leaders in Midland about how we even come up with a Midland-Odessa super permit where if you're good in Midland, you're good in Odessa. I think that it gets the city out of the way of these small businesses and lets them operate.'
What is the city doing to help out local food truck vendors?
'We will be hosting a town hall for the food truck owners. It'll come to council, so there'll be plenty of opportunity for feedback from the community.'
WATCH: HB 2683 and it's impact on local food truck vendors
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