Tonight's City Council Meeting: Regulations for Mobile Food Vendors, Potential New Coastside Emergency Center

City Council members will be tackling two major items during Tuesday night's regularly scheduled meeting - the regulation of local mobile food vendors such as food carts and trucks, and the potential awarding of a construction contract for a new Coastside Emergency Center.

During the meeting, a proposal will be made to amend the City's municipal code to include regulations for mobile food vendors. The ordinance would require all mobile food vendors - from large, traveling food trucks to the smallest of ice cream push-carts - to obtain permits to operate with the Half Moon Bay city limits. Permits will only be granted to individuals who pass a criminal background check, have a City-approved business license, and who provide a complete list of all the items to be sold out of their mobile business, as well as photos of the vehicle to be utilized.

The ordinance also specifies that mobile vendors can only stop for a maximum of 15 minutes in any one location - unless special authorization is given to remain longer - and after the initial 15 minutes, the vehicle must move at least one block before stopping in a new location.

The staff report attached to Tuesday's agenda did not specify how much in revenue the City expects to generate from the proceeds from such permit fees.

Having recently undergone a bidding process, the City has indicated it is ready to award a construction contract to Romkon, Inc. out of San Francisco to build the city's new Coastside Emergency Center.

According to the staff report, the current facilities at 535 Kelly Ave., currently being used as a Sheriff's Station, have worked well since being built in the mid-1990s, but would not stand up in a "significant local disaster."

The current facility consists of seven temporary, portable buildings. A proposed new building would replace three of the seven trailers and add more than 700 square feet of space, which would be used to house emergency radio equipment, records and other emergency services that would be crucial in a local emergency, as well as provide a stable communication link to City Hall and other emergency or government agencies.

Romkon, Inc. was reportedly the lowest responsible bidder for the project. A contract with Romkon would be for approximately $842,000, plus an allowance of $84,000 - or 10 percent - for potential overages.

If the contract is approved, the City expects construction to be completed within six months, by May of 2012.

City Council meetings are open to the public. This meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Adcock Community/Senior Center, 535 Kelly Ave. For more information, visit http://www.half-moon-bay.ca.us/.

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