Jersey City food truck owners are feeling burned by a $200 a day parking fee.

The food trucks will transition over to Montgomery Street, Sussex Street or Bergen Avenue next week after an ordinance passed in August that designated new zones for the food trucks. An ordinance that raised the daily parking fee from $40 a day to $200 a day was approved in July.

Joe Venti, the owner of Venti Italian Specialties food truck said, the owners feel as if a rug has been pulled from under them because none of them can afford to pay the hefty price per day fee.

“This is not a hobby,” said Venti. “These are our businesses. This is how we support our families. This is how our employees support their families.”

The new designated parking zones are on the south side of Montgomery Street between Greene and Hudson streets; and the east side of Bergen Avenue between Sip Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard. Food truck were already allowed to operate on the south side Sussex Street. The ordinance eliminates the current zones on Grand and York streets, as well as the north side of Sussex Street.

City spokeswoman Kim Wallace-Scalcione said the city has always been supportive of small businesses. She said any fee the city charges are based on the cost to the city and taxpayers and that the city is providing equal treatment for food trucks and restaurants.

“The real question is why a business on Newark Avenue or Martin Luther King Drive should have to pay property taxes, Health Department fees, and other operating fees while food trucks are required to pay nothing despite being able to park right next to a store and destroy that store’s business,” said Wallace-Scalcione.

“The (fee) structure the (City) Council implemented is based on best practices in other cities around the country.”

Venti said the food trucks are stepping stones to a regular restaurant, which they all hope to own someday. He said none of the trucks want to compete with the other food businesses on Montgomery.

“We are definitely not making as much as brick-and-mortars do,” said Venti. “It’s a much smaller fraction of what they make only because we have one revenue stream, which is walk up business to their window.”

Wyatt Harte, owner of No Forks Given food truck and Romm Gaddi, owner of Incrediballs, say foot traffic dies down in the winter months and paying $200 a day is a losing proposition.

Gaddi said the owners are also seeking transition time to redevelop their customer base in their new locations.

“It is impossible to have these fees here and still run the business,” said Harte. “Not even just making a profit, but even to break even … it will put all of us out of business.”

Ward E Councilman James Solomon said food truck owners raised legitimate issues and he is currently working with the business owners to come up with revisions for the fee ordinance.

Council President Rolando Lavarro said that he will take a second look at the fees to see “if there’s a way to adjust and balance it to make it fair for the food trucks and the brick-and-mortars.”

Food truck parking fees are currently suspended.

Correction: This article previously stated Councilman James Solomon is the councilman for Ward D. He is the councilman for Ward E.

Joshua Rosario can be contacted at JRosario@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JRyRosario.