The Beacon Center is celebrating after the Mt. Juliet City Council voted Monday night to repeal its recently adopted $100 per day out-of-town food truck permit fee. Last November, the Beacon Center filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of three Middle Tennessee food trucks against the city of Mt. Juliet. The lawsuit was a civil rights challenge that claimed the Mt. Juliet ordinance that charged out-of-city food trucks $100 a day for a permit while charging Mt. Juliet-based food trucks just $100 a year for the same permit, was unfair and unconstitutional. The Beacon Center also said the rule was made even more egregious because two of the plaintiffs have helped the citizens of Mt. Juliet recover from the 2020 tornado, including giving away food to those in need.
Tuesday morning the organization released a statement from Beacon Director of Legal Affairs Wen Fa who said, “We are absolutely thrilled that our lawsuit prompted the City of Mt. Juliet to repeal its unconstitutional $100/day permitting fee for food truck operators located outside of Mt. Juliet. That exorbitant fee essentially shut out our clients— food truck owners who have served many satisfied Mt. Juliet residents in the past— from Mt. Juliet. We’re delighted for both our clients and for the residents of Mt. Juliet that the food trucks are now able to return.”