By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

The St. Cloud City Council unanimously voted Thursday, on the first public reading, to place a moratorium on the sale of food, services and/or merchandise by temporary or mobile vendors.

While the moratorium does not include the five vendors the city had already allowed to temporarily operate in parking lots around the city, it would ban any other mobile vendors from receiving a permit to operate within city limits.

Dale Cozack, from the city’s Planning and Zoning Department, said the moratorium was a follow up to the Jan. 20 workshop, where the council heard concerns from both mobile vendors and local restaurant owners.

The council is planning to hold two workshops over the next two weeks to discuss how it wants to formally handle the issue of mobile vending. The workshops are open to the public.

In other news, the council also approved the naming of Nolte Road, eliminating the names of New Nolte Road and West Nolte Road. This was done, City Manager Tom Hurt said, to create addresses and lessen the confusion for emergency service responders.

In addition, Councilmen Jarom Fertic and Tom Griffin expressed concern about the trees being removed from roadway medians due to construction.

Trees in good shape will be saved and replanted in various areas around the city, including along Nolte Road, Public Services Administrator Todd Swingle said.

“Any we can save, we are,” he said, adding the fate of the trees was considered before any were removed.