Change To Moorestown Transient Vendor Background Checks Possible

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Food truck festivals are gaining in popularity, with Burlington County holding its first countywide Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival and Moorestown set to host its second event at the end of the summer.

The increased food truck festivals bring in more people from outside town to work the event, meaning the need for more background checks. Last year, Moorestown Council passed legislation that called for transient vendors to apply for eligibility to the chief of police at least 20 days before beginning to conduct business. The police department would then conduct a thorough investigation of transient vendors and anyone working with them.

Read more here: Moorestown Council Approves Changes To Transient Vendor Laws

Before last year’s Food Truck Festival, Moorestown police conducted 26 investigations of transient vendors on 12 food trucks, according to Police Chief Lee Lieber. In an effort to cut down on the amount of heavy lifting the department has to do for these investigations, Lieber is suggesting a change in this year’s process.

He has suggested allowing the person in charge of each food truck to conduct an investigation for each person on their truck, and submitting the results of those investigations to the police department for review.

Mayor Lisa Petriello first brought up the chief’s suggestion during the council meeting on June 10, at which time questions were raised by members of council who wanted to know how these investigations would be conducted and who would oversee them.

On Friday, Lieber told Patch the police department would oversee the process, with the head of each truck using a state-certified investigation that mirrors the one conducted by Moorestown police last year.

This would only apply for mass events, such as the End of Summer Block Party set for Main Street on Aug. 21.

“What I proposed is that they would have to confirm that they were done, and that their employees fit the qualifications,” Lieber said.

Lieber said there are two forms available on the state police website: 212A and 212B. The 212A form is used by local police and state agencies to obtain background information for employment, licensing and other local ordinances, according to the state police website.

The 212 B form provides the same information to government entities, private detectives and “a person or non-governmental entity of any State for employment, volunteer work or other performance of services.” Submissions for both forms cost $20 and can be paid on the state police website using a credit card.

“The employer can use the 212B form to conduct the same check we do,” Lieber said. “They would get the report back, and they would have to produce that for us. … It would save us on person power, and we would get the same result with some modifications.”

The idea was informally discussed by council, but would have to be approved by ordinance for it to become official. It will have to pass two readings of council, with meetings coming up on June 24 and July 8. If it were to be approved on final reading on July 8, that would leave about six weeks for the new process to play out before the block party.

No dates have been formally set for council to discuss a proposed ordinance, although Petriello indicated there may be an introduction on June 24.

The idea has the backing of the township’s Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC), according to council liaison Brian Donnelly. He said EDAC has met with Township Manager Thomas Neff and can make a presentation to council if necessary.

At the June 10 meeting, councilwoman Victoria Napolitano and Councilman Mike Locatell said they didn’t see a need to rush the proposal. Napolitano said the situation is not an emergency, and Locatell said that although last year’s process was tedious, it wasn’t a catastrophe.

Deputy Mayor Nicole Gillespie relayed the message that Lieber said it was burdensome, and Locatell requested that he come to speak to council directly.

Locatell said he was more concerned about the impact transient vendors are having on established brick-and-mortar businesses in the township.

“Ice cream trucks will literally show up and park in front of our ice cream shops,” Locatell said. “They should be driving through our neighborhoods not competing with our businesses.”

“We just need this change now, and we can discuss more later,” Petriello said. “ … We’re just looking to allow for a change in the process.”

See related: Councilwoman Calls For Greater Examination Of Town's Vendor Laws