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Newport News hikes up fees for food trucks

Posted at 9:47 PM, Jul 09, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-09 21:52:14-04

Newport News, Va. - It's lunchtime outside the Newport News Shipyard, and that means the food trucks’ lines are long.

“If it weren`t for them, a lot of us wouldn`t have anywhere to get lunch,” says a customer.

But starting September 1st, the go-to lunch spots will have to pay an extra $500 for a permit if they want to stick around. It's part of a new regulation city council approved Tuesday night.

Willie Gilliams, who parks his truck about a half mile down the street from the shipyard, isn't happy about the increased cost.

“I really do think it`s a cheap shot to me, disrespect because for us to go and pay these extra fees per year, we might as well have a storefront,” says Gilliams.

Truck vendors will have to pay $500 and sidewalk vendors, $150.  In return, they'll have a designated spot to park.

“That`s not really big because I get up early every morning and get out here early enough to make sure that I get a spot, so to pay for that, that`s something I could do without,” says Gilliams.

And there's more--the vendors' insurance requirement is going from $100,000 to $1 million per incident.

The city hasn't yet said whether there will be a limit on the number of permits, but either way, Gilliam tells NewsChannel 3 he's willing to pay the extra $500, even though he doesn't think it's fair.

“The city`s always gonna make money, no matter where you go. This is the city I live in and have been in for all my life, so we know that the city is gonna get their`s, nothing we can do about that,” says Giliams.