Short North crime prompts mobile vending reforms

Columbus City Council is expected to approve mobile vending reforms tonight as part of a broader effort to reduce crime and congestion in the Short North neighborhood, where food carts are especially popular.

• A deadly fight next to a North High Street food cart last Labor Day helped spur months of discussions until the proposals were finalized.

Details: The ordinance would require push carts to close by 2:30am in the hopes that people will head home instead of lingering around the Short North after the bars close.

• Owners and employees will have to pass annual background checks and reserve designated spots in order to operate legally.

The other side: At a recent public hearing, some vendors complained of losing profitable sales time and feeling punished for the actions of drunken patrons rather than the bars serving them alcohol.

• Adam Wallace, who operates a food truck near Ohio State's campus, described the ordinance as "guesswork and blame-shifting."

What's next: If passed, the citywide changes go live May 1.