VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A battle over food trucks continues in Virginia Beach.
City council voted to eliminate some fees for truck owners Monday, but the restaurants on wheels still aren’t happy.
Food trucks in Virginia Beach were operating under a decades-old peddler permit that required a $300 annual fee and annual background checks for all employees.
The council voted to decrease the fee to $50, but a back and forth over background checks was the hot button issue at Monday's city council meeting.
The council seemed confused over what Virginia law should require, while brick and mortar restaurants hadn’t come to a consensus on what they thought the council should do.
Food truck owners argue some restaurants aren’t required to have background checks for their employees, so the playing field isn’t fair.
Some council members say it’s a safety issue for mobile restaurants to not have to complete checks for employees who are driving vehicles in and around Virginia Beach.
Pelican Pete’s Mobile Pizza owner Bob Olson says he’s considering cutting employees to avoid paying $40 dollars for a background check for each of his employees ever year when they can quit at any time.
“Employees that I might have considered hiring, I’m not going to take the risk with them. Why spend $40 to hire someone I don’t need to hire?" says Olson.
The discussion is tabled for now until the council can agree on what should be done.
