Food truck owners are angry with the city of Albuquerque for significantly increasing permit fees
ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – The permit fee is nearly six times higher than before, leaving local food truck owners fearful of losing their business forever. But now the fee increase is being postponed.
“It’s like closing a restaurant, you know,” said Skylar Wallace, owner of Las Chanclitas 3.
The city of Albuquerque is under pressure from local food trucks and calls the recent change in permit fees outrageous.
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“We recently learned that our environmental health permit will be increased from $150 to $900,” Wallace said.
Wallace is fighting against the fee change, and she is not the only one.
“We’re all trying to figure out why we as a community of small businesses are being attacked when all we want to do is serve good food to our community,” says Michael Mondragon, owner and operator of the food truck Mighty Mike’s Meats.
A food and retail ordinance passed by the Albuquerque City Council in May went into effect in early August.
Last Friday, food truck owners attended a meeting to voice their concerns, but said they were not allowed to ask about the fee.
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The city responded by suspending the permit fee pending more information from the community, but Mondragon still has questions: “I’ve already paid. I don’t know how many of my other food truck owners have paid. So with the permit fee suspended for the new structure, will we get a refund?”
Additionally, both trucks have been ticketed for illegal parking, making it difficult for them to conduct business. They hope the city will address these concerns at the upcoming city council meeting.
“Show us, not me, show my community, show us small business owners where the money is going,” Mondragon said.
The owner of the food truck Mighty Mike’s Meats said he, along with other food truck and small business owners, will attend Monday’s city council meeting at 5 p.m. in hopes of working together to find a more reasonable solution.
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