SIDNEY - The topic of food trucks and vendors was brought to the City Council's attention again Tuesday night.

Sidney resident Stephen Wood, who owns and operates a hot dog cart, recommended council consider an annual fee for vendors instead of the current $30 daily fee. He says it's a hassle to come to city hall everyday and pay a fee everyday to run his cart.

City Manager Davis Scott said the topic of fees always comes down to the same issue: front range food trucks vs. local restaurants. 

Scott says the issue was most prevalent during the pandemic when local restaurants had to close their doors, but still had to pay local property tax and utility fees while food trucks could set up and be open for only a nominal fee.

The City Council voted to explore options in upcoming meetings and want to set updated standards before summer.

"We'll see if we can put something together that fits everyone's needs and doesn't hurt the local businesses, as well," Scott says.

In other council business, Megan DeNardo was appointed into the Historic Board. Scott says this is a perfect fit and the board is happy to have DeNardo.

The City Council also approved two new purchases for the city. Sidney added a slope mower and a horizontal directional drill. Both of these were budgeted for in the city's funds. The slope mower will be used to mow in all of the difficult terrain areas of Sidney. The horizontal directional drill is for installing underground pipelines, cables and service conduit.