The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners hosted the first reading of a newly proposed policy on the matter last week. At present the Selling/Soliciting on Public Streets, Sidewalks and Right-of-way code stipulates that, while ice cream can be sold privately within county borders, a merchant cannot stop on either of the three to do so.
“Parades, pools, parks and ice cream trucks are all very nostalgic icons of an American summer,” said District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson. “I believe each commissioner has a desire to facilitate anything that would increase the quality of life for all of DeKalb’s residents.”
The Georgia departments of Agriculture and Public Health are the actual regulating bodies in terms of the actual products to be sold – the former for prepared fare, like ice cream sandwiches; the latter for ice cream scooped out or soft served.
With summertime having reached its midway point, DeKalb youth will likely get to soon partake of all such offerings.
“As a parent, I’ll have to admit that sometimes that sound of the ice cream truck put the fear into me of children hitting me up for change, but you have to admit that it’s a rite of summer that shouldn’t be denied,” District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer said.
Commissioners ordered the amended version of the code sent back for language clarification purposes before ultimately holding a vote on it.
“Technically, the way it was written, it would’ve legalized the sale of tuna fish sandwiches on the side of the road,” said J. Jay Vinicki, policy research and analysis director for the DeKalb Board. “Commissioners asked that we go back and narrow focus it just to the items they wanted, which was ice cream.”
Post a Comment