Elkader Council forms task force for food trucks, debates Alliant agreement

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

The agenda at the most recent Elkader council meeting consisted of two hot-button issues: how to manage food trucks and the new Alliant Energy agreement. 

After some debate on the food trucks, and with the council reviewing feedback from a survey on the topic, council member Tony Hauber moved to create a task force to review the issue, with the purpose of writing an ordinance and bringing it back to the council. 

The task force should include a consumer, a business owner, a city representative and a food truck vendor representative, with Main Street Elkader and the chamber being consulted as well. At this moment, how the task force will be created and how that process will be fair and equal remains unknown. 

What is not unknown are the opinions of several Elkader business owners. Joelle Davis, owner of Emerald Grove Boutique, remarked that the food trucks “don’t bother,” and added that they “provide something different and competition is good and healthy.” As for the council’s decision to form a task force to handle the issue, Davis commented the decision “seems excessive.”

TD’s Sports Bar and Grille owner Chelsea Armstrong’s initial reaction was “oh gosh,” mingled with some mixed feelings. “I see both sides and understand both sides, and everyone makes valid points,” she said. 

While Armstrong has mixed feelings, Tim Dietzler, owner of the Turkey River Mall building, does not. He isn’t bothered by the presence of food trucks, but demands better food, as he was unimpressed by the taco truck that reignited the debate. However, Dietzler also added that food trucks should be required to pay for a permit, which would serve as a method of tracking the food trucks that come and go for public safety reasons. 

Elkader Pizzeria owner Bryton Rentschler agreed, also commenting that, when a food truck is in the area, he sees a decline in business. As a result, he supports the permit idea, especially as a way of “evening the playing field. They shouldn’t be able to just pull up wherever and whenever they want.”  

Echoing Rentschler’s concerns was Sarah Asche, owner of Archive, who said she would be OK with food trucks, but only with “rules, regulations and a permit.” Asche amended that statement, however, saying food trucks should not be required to have a permit to do business on private property, but only on public property. 

One business owner, who asked not to be identified, said “It depends on what kind of food truck it is,” meaning they would be opposed to food trucks that sold similar items to businesses in town. On the permit issue, they added, “we sit here and pay taxes, so they should have to pay too.” 

One business owner who supports allowing food trucks without requiring a permit is Deb Winter, owner of Deb’s Brewtopia. 

“When they come in here, they help me as a business owner to pay my bills. Every time I’ve used a food truck, it’s been amazing,” she said. 

Winter added that customers are frequently asking when she will have another food truck, but the recent decision by the council to rehash the controversial permit debate has stopped her. The ordeal has adversely impacted the business and been “frustrating,” she said. 

Winter also said she would be willing to pay the permit fee just to bring in a food truck because they are popular among the people, they bring people into the community and provide some diversity in food options. 

Mayor Josh Pope, in a response to the task force, said, “We always welcome input from interested parties. That is why we did a survey of businesses recently and also surveyed the restaurant community two years ago when we started looking into this issue.”

As for whether the task force is necessary, given the surveys and public response, the mayor suggested the council’s approval was based on “wanting to make sure that all voices are being heard on this issue.” 

The other top issue discussed at the meeting was the ongoing debate over the Alliant Energy franchise agreement. The previous meeting saw the second reading of an ordinance that would renews the franchise agreement with Alliant, including the addition of a franchise fee. Several community members in attendance opposed the agreement, including Joleen Jansen, Daryl Bruxvoort and Justin Vorwald, but only Vorwald responded when asked for comment since this reporter could not be present at the time of the meeting. 

At the meeting, Vorwald mentioned he represents some cities and they give things like this away all the time. He also voiced his concerns, suggesting the council is giving away any negotiating power it has for the next 25 years in exchange for a short-term gain, being the estimated $16,000 per year it expects to get as a result of implementing the franchise fee, until the agreement would have expired anyway. 

In an email exchange, Vorwald added, “The council seemed concerned that, without this 25-year agreement, Alliant would simply stop putting money into their infrastructure or cease service to Elkader. Alliant has a legal obligation to provide electricity to Elkader in exchange for its legal monopoly. We don’t have to worry about them leaving. They are going to stay here as long as they can generate roughly $1,800,000 per year from Elkader. We aren’t powerless and we should not negotiate as if we are.” 

Vorwald also brought up the issue of establishing a municipal utility or at least exploring the idea. That’s an option, in his view, that this agreement takes away. 

“We should have outs built in like other cities do in their agreements. There is little to no cost to Alliant to alter their agreement. They just want to lock us in with no other alternatives for as long as possible,” Vorwald said. 

When it comes to the Alliant debate, the mayor, who is firmly in the camp that supports the new agreement and the franchise fee, responded, “As we have discussed, the city has limited ways to raise revenue. As the state continues to make decisions that impact our current revenue sources (property taxes) we are forced to look for new sources. The Alliant franchise fee would be new for us,” he said. 

When asked how he would respond to opponents of the new agreement, Pope stated, “I thank them for their input and involvement.”