FARGO — The Fargo City Commission has approved a pilot program that will allow food trucks to operate one day a week near Fargo City Hall this summer.

Dubbed "Food Truck Fridays," the program will permit food trucks to operate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays from June 14 to Sept. 13 along the south end of the new city hall parking lot.

City hall is located at 225 4th St. N.

Food trucks must operate within one of the designated spots on a first-come, first-served basis, according to information the city shared for a meeting of the city commission Monday night, June 3, which gave unanimous approval to the pilot project.

Under the plan, the city will not provide any amenities, including power, garbage containers, or potable water.

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Also, food truck operators will be responsible for cleaning the parking lot, while the city will provide garbage receptacles for the general public.

In addition to establishing Food Truck Fridays, the city commission also established a blueprint for setting up a Mobile Food Coalition that is to handle a number of things, including:

Provide a forum for parties to meet and discuss ideas, concerns and questions

Review the progress of the 2019 pilot program

Recognize and establish future permanent locations for food trucks

Identify policies and rules that would have to change or be developed to support a permanent mobile food program

City officials said they plan to develop a permanent mobile food permit and permitting process that would utilize current internal requirements and processes. The city will ask for public input in setting up a permanent mobile food program.

The new pilot project comes in the wake of an earlier attempt by Fargo officials to establish a pilot food truck program.

That effort involved a proposed law that would have allowed food trucks to park on the street in certain parts of downtown where parking is not in high demand.

Currently, food trucks are only allowed on private property and those areas are typically far from established restaurants.

While a number of city commissioners voiced support for the earlier plan, it was tabled last summer on a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Tim Mahoney and Commissioner Tony Gehrig voting against the motion to table.