The ordinance was driven by a statewide effort to run background checks on vendors to screen for drug and sex offenses.
NORTHAMPTON - The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Thursday requiring ice cream trucks operating in the city to obtain a permit from police.
The ordinance was driven by a statewide effort to run background checks on vendors to screen for drug and sex offenses. Under the new law, vendors must pay a $50 fee for the license, an amount intended to cover the cost to police of doing the background check. Permits must be displayed on the truck.
City Councilor David A. Murphy, a member of the Public Safety Committee that recommended the ordinance, said early Thursday that the measure was an effort to comply with a recently passed state law.
“The state wants to license ice cream trucks to make sure there aren’t drug dealers and child molesters selling ice cream,” he said prior to the vote.
And although ice cream trucks have been a common sight in Northampton, some come from as far away as Connecticut. Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz said it does not matter under the new ordinance where the truck originates.
“You have to get a permit to sell ice cream in Northampton,” he said.
Violations result in a fine of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense and $300 for a third offense.