There should be no limit to the number of food trucks on London streets, and the licence fees they pay may be too high.

Those were the two main conclusions Tuesday as city politicians debated the rolling eateries that, after a 2015 pilot project, are set to become a permanent part of the local restaurant scene.

But rather than just endorse staff’s recommendation — that chiefly called for the removal of the eight-truck limit — council’s community and protective services committee asked staff to report back on a number of related issues.

The biggest one: the cost to license a food truck is now $1,225, or roughly four times the fee paid by bricks-and-mortar restaurants. Coun. Mo Salih wanted it slashed to $350, though that lost in a vote.

The committee then directed staff to report back on possibly changing the licence fee.

“I think it’s too expensive,” Salih said. “We need to bring it down significantly.”

The food truck issue always has been complicated for council. It took seven reports during three years before the 2015 pilot project was approved. Tuesday was no exception, with the debate getting convoluted and complicated.

The decision to remove the eight-truck limit goes to council for a final vote in early January. But Londoners shouldn’t expect an explosion of food trucks on city streets to follow.

During this year’s pilot project, an expected flood was instead a trickle, with just four rolling restaurants applying for licences.

Another concern that didn’t materialize was the presumed clash with bricks-and-mortar restaurants. City staff say they received no complaints from their owners about competing food trucks.

Patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/patatLFPress