AURORA, Colo. — I scream, you scream, we all scream when the ice cream truck comes around the block. Except for residents in Aurora.
That's right, ice cream trucks are banned in the city under sections 26-347 and 26-248 in the municipal code.
Section 26-347 prohibits the selling of frozen milk, frozen dairy and ice confection products from vehicles.
Section 26-348 bans the use of any noisemaking devices to attract people to vehicles.
Both sections appear to have gone into effect in 1979. The exact language of the two sections is below:
"Except as authorized by section 146-1254, the trade, business, occupation, enterprise or operation of selling and distributing or offering for sale or distribution frozen milk, frozen dairy or ice confection products, candy, gum or other confection products from vehicles on the streets, highways, alleys, rights-of-way or public ways in the City is declared a nuisance and is unlawful and prohibited. (Code 1979, § 30-2; Ord. No. 2014-20, § 2, 7-14-2014)"
"The use of bells, whistles, sirens, music, horns or any other noisemaking device for the purpose of attracting persons to any vehicle upon the streets, highways, rights-of-way, alleys or public ways of the city for the purpose of selling or distributing or giving away any product whatsoever to such persons is declared to be a public nuisance and hazard and is expressly prohibited and shall be unlawful, excepting such activities carried on as a part of duly authorized public parade or procession. (Code 1979, § 30-3)
Aurora City Councilman Dustin Zvonek said the ordinances are an example of "red tape" a new ad hoc committee is trying to address.
"The purpose of that committee was to look at rules and regulations, taxes, fees and the city process," he said. "Just basically anything that was making doing business in Aurora more difficult."
Zvonek said he asked staff to bring forward ideas or items they saw in municipal code that the committee could address when one noted the ice cream truck ban.
"I thought, 'But ice cream trucks are a small business opportunity, and who doesn't like ice cream?'" he said. "So it clearly fit into the red tape reduction committee and what we were doing."
The committee is now in the process of looking through the public feedback they've received, and crafting policies to address concerns that were raised.
"We talked about the ice cream truck one because that one is, of course, going to be a fan favorite," Zvonek said. "But there's a lot of very serious policy proposals that are going to make Aurora a more business friendly city."
The next committee meeting is taking place on May 17, where they will finalize proposals to take to the full council in June.
"So if all goes well, by Independence Day, we'll have ice cream trucks back in Aurora," he said.
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