This has been a hot topic lately, so we’ll keep serving it up in a few different courses. Our first course covered the original story, brought to light by Common Fields. It covered the transportation system development charges, or SDC fees, what they are, and how they are calculated.
They aren’t really food-truck fees, per se. They are fees based on new businesses, the traffic they bring in, and the impact that traffic has on our transportation infrastructure, amongst other things.
The fees are applied to new food trucks and could cost a new truck almost $16,000, or up to that amount, depending on the traffic it is deemed to bring in by the fee structure.
The issue gained enough attention and public criticism that the Corvallis City Council is examining concerns about development fees charged to food trucks and opening a discussion about them.
A petition asking the City Council to intervene has surpassed 1,300 signatures as of the time of this writing. The Change.org petition was started by Common Fields owner Jacob Oliver. The post was shared by some prominent businesses, including the Downtown Corvallis group.
In the city’s defense, it’s possible that this is a case of accidental oversight in terms of how the SDC fees are structured. The Common Fields post mentioned this as well.
Ward 7 candidate Danielle Chambers chimed in, saying, “Accidental oversight or not, it’s a Councilor’s duty to read carefully and to consider the impacts any change will have. I want to build up our local jobs and businesses, not stifle them.”
It should be clarified that the controversy does not involve a new fee created specifically for food trucks. It centers on how the city’s longstanding transportation SDC is being applied to mobile food businesses following an expansion of the city’s food-truck regulations in 2025.
Common Fields says the charges could force it to remove food trucks from its existing pod or pay approximately $30,000. “We need a pause and more engagement to come up with a better solution,” Common Fields said in a recent post.
The issue did receive attention during the September 8 Corvallis City Council meeting. Mayor Charles Maughan said city employees were already examining the concerns and referenced an email from Community Development Director Paul Bilotta.
“We listen at the city, and not only just me and those councilors,” Maughan said. “I think you all saw the email from Director Bilotta that they’re already looking into this,” he added.
Maughan also praised the way Common Fields brought the issue forward.
“I really appreciate Common Fields’ post,” he said. “It wasn’t attacking. It wasn’t negative. It was simply like, ‘Oh, here’s this issue. We’re going to engage the community, hopefully get a bunch of signatures, bring it to council, and see if they can do something about it.’”
Maughan encouraged other residents and businesses to take a similar approach when they encounter problems with city policies. However, Maughan stopped short of concluding that the city’s fee calculation is incorrect.
“In this case, we still don’t know if it’s broken,” he said. “We just know that it’s affecting somebody.”
(Photo: Maughan With City Councilors and Candidates Running For City Council at Common Fields/bre.irish.forcorvallis/instagram)
According to Maughan, Bilotta had hoped to provide the council with information before the September 8th meeting, but the analysis was not ready because of the Labor Day holiday and other work.
“I’m hoping we’ll hear something soon,” Maughan said.
Common Fields and other supporters are expected to raise the issue during the next City Council meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd, at 6 p.m.
The meeting will be held at the Corvallis Fire Station 1 council chambers, 400 NW Harrison Blvd., with a virtual attendance option.
The food-truck fees have not yet been identified as a formal agenda item. Which means the issue may initially be raised during community comment rather than through a scheduled council discussion or vote.
Maughan said he expected Oliver and others to attend.
“Hopefully we’ll have a good discussion,” Maughan said, “and we’ll see what comes of it.”
The petition can be signed here.
This article was written by Jackson Hayes, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
More recent stories:
→ Donate
We’ll still keep it ad-free and paywall-free even if you don’t. 100% of donations go to expanding local reporting, giving back to community causes, and minor operating expenses. Read more about our values and mission here.
Do you have a story for The Inquirer? Email: editor@corvallisnow.com
