Fargo Police planning response to complaints about food cart vendors downtown

(Fargo, ND) -- The Fargo Police Department is taking efforts aimed at making sure food cart operators downtown are following city ordinances, especially late at night.  Sergeant Brent Halverson said the department is receiving complaints about some of the vendors.  

"We do get complaints and it's generally from people who either live or work downtown that like I said, we've had the grease one where the cart was really messy and just walked away from the situation.  We've had the noise one where they are projecting like boom box style noise and there is people dancing in front of this as it's going on.  We've had the hours as a concerns where they are saying it's 3:00 in the morning, I thought this was supposed to be over with," said Halverson. 

Halverson and Chielf Dave Zibolski talked about food carts Wednesday during the department's monthly update on law enforcement efforts downtown called "Downtown Download".  One idea the department is considering is having the city locate food carts in two primary areas downtown.  One would be the 500 block of 4th Avenue North and the other would be the 600 block of N.P. Avenue North.  The department is also considering having ride share service providers using those locations for picking up riders after bars close. Zibolski says he is not opposed to extending the time for food carts to operate beyond 2:00 am, if the City Commission is willing to consider the idea.