Mayor Peter Carlisle signed  this afternoon a bill allowing food trucks more time to sell food along city streets, just hours after it was given final approval by the City Council.

Lunch wagon owners say police officers have been issuing citations against them using an ordinance that allows vendors to sell their food and other items for no more than 15 minutes when stationary in a parking zone.

Bill 59, approved 8-0 today, allows trucks to park up to a posted time limit, or three hours in areas where there are no time limits.

Several food truck owners have left the downtown area where enforcement has been most severe.

Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard, who introduced the bill, said "real people and their livelihoods are at stake here. This bill is about supporting our small business owners who are the backbone of our economy."