Not Everyone's Excited About Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays

The announcement of Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays has had an and social media, but not everyone is as excited about the prospect. Three Smyrna City Council members voted against the food trucks at Monday’s meeting. Because Ward 3 Council Representative Teri Anulewicz was absent, Mayor Max Bacon had to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the ordinance.

Smyrna City Clerk Susan Hiott said the mayor hasn’t had to break a tie vote since 2007. There were only three instances of a tie vote in the past decade.

Ward 5 Representative Susan Wilkinson, Ward 6 Representative Wade Lnenicka and Ward 7 Representative Ron Fennel opposed the ordinance that creates Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Taylor Brawner Park.

Fennel said he was concerned because the food trucks won’t be required to hold a Smyrna business license or pay city of Smyrna sales tax.

“I like that the concept of the food truck,” he said. “My mission is to number one protect the businesses that exist here in Smyrna. Our local businesses already pay taxes in Smyrna and I want to support them.”

Lnenicka was concerned about the impact that Food Truck Tuesdays might have on the neighborhoods near Taylor Brawner Park.

“It’s directly near a residential neighborhood and particularly, not during the summer but in the fall or in late summer when school starts this is scheduled to go until 9 p.m.,” he said. “And 9 p.m. is too late for little kids being put to bed on a school night or maybe too much distraction for them to be able to study (…) I don’t have any real heartburn with it, but I just think there were some details that needed to be discussed. The first time we had discussed it was tonight.”

Wilkinson said she would have also liked more time to consider her vote.

“I just heard about it tonight and had concerns about it,” she said. “It could turn out a great thing and people might like it, but I just felt like it might be more open to the people in Smyrna who have business licenses in Smyrna.

Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays could begin as early as June 26 and will run through the summer and into the fall.  

More About Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays on Smyrna-Vinings Patch: