Some say ice cream trucks, Carpentersville a good match

Carpentersville Trustee Brad McFeggan is hoping to bring a touch of nostalgia to the village by allowing ice cream trucks.

The village board is reviewing an ordinance that if approved, would regulate ice cream trucks and other peddlers that sell food meant for immediate consumption. The board may review or make changes to the draft ordinance at Tuesday’s board meeting.

“I believe that allowing ice cream trucks in this village will help bring back that good old American tradition, just like having fireworks on the 4th of July,” McFeggan said. “They’re nice to have and I think they’re a convenience to the residents.”

Although ice cream trucks and other food peddlers are not allowed in the village, that doesn’t stop one particular man from selling ice cream out of the back of his van and ringing a bell to attract children, McFeggan said, adding that there are many others like that man.

Regulating the practice will make it safer for everyone, he said.

Food peddlers would be required to register themselves and their vehicles with the village and undergo criminal background checks. Their equipment would also be inspected, with officials making sure containers meant to house the food are at the proper temperatures and that the owner has the required permits and licenses.

To ease traffic and safety concerns around the schools, the food peddlers wouldn’t be allowed to operate while school is in session, an hour before school starts or an hour after dismissal.

And while they could use Route 25, Route 31, Lake Marian and Sleepy Hollow roads during their commute, the food peddlers wouldn’t be allowed to sell from those streets.

Both Village President Ed Ritter and Trustee Paul Humpfer raise questions about the impact on establishments that already sell food.

“I think it kind of hurts our business owners,” Humpfer said.

Ritter also asks whether ice cream trucks present a safety hazard.

“I’m not 100 percent sold on the idea because I’m a little concerned about safety, but if they put enough signage in there to make sure kids are protected from the street and the vendors have good sanitation, I’ll go along with it.”

Moreover, the village can pretty much forget about collecting sales tax revenue from these sorts of businesses.

“Anything that’s sold off a truck we would be very unlikely to get sales tax revenue from it, so we might have merchants who are complaining,” Ritter said. “I don’t know how you track sales on a mobile sales activity. If they get the OK, I’m sure they’re going to do more than just Carpentersville. They could be in six towns for one day.”

McFeggan, 31, is the youngest trustee on the board. But as a child in the 1980s, he remembers buying ice cream from trucks in Carpentersville and in Rolling Meadows, where his grandmother lived.

“I think that’s a tradition that should stay around for kids to enjoy,” McFeggan said.