Lubbock City Council Approves Food Safety Ordinance Amendment

The Lubbock City Council this week gave final approval to a measure originally aimed to remove food safety regulations from certain gatherings, following the City shutting down a privately cooked meal for the homeless in mid-July.

The ordinance amendment requires that gloves and hand sanitizer be provided for those serving the food at the feeding site, sets temperatures for food storage, and that the feeding area must be left in a clean condition. Food must also be served within four hours of preparation.

City inspectors have the right to check these conditions at the feeding site.

The original ordinance amendment, proposed by District 3 Councilman Todd Klein, would have allowed Lubbockites to serve any type of food prepared in a home kitchen to any groups they would like without the threat of intervention from the City, as long as no charge was required to eat.

District 5 Councilwoman Karen Gibson offered the amendment to Klein’s original amendment, citing food standards for the homeless.

“I think it’s very sad that we would let anyone serve anyone without a safety net,” Gibson said Thursday, following an attempt by Klein to return the amendment back to the original wording.

Klein disapproved of Gibson’s amendment, calling it “well-intentioned, but misguided and unnecessary.”

District 4 Councilman Paul R. Beane favored taking no action on the amendment, and allowing the current ordinance to stand. He said that it had worked fine until “a couple of people got a little froggy.”

District 6 Councilman Jim Gilbreath supported returning the amendment to the way Klein originally presented.

“I think it’s silly that these people got busted for trying to do a good deed,” Gilbreath quipped.

District 2 Councilman Floyd Price weighed in, voicing his support for Gibson’s amendment.

“It’s not saying that you can’t feed people, you just have to do it right,” Price said.

Mayor Tom Martin broached the issue from a different side, discussing the meals for the homeless in Overton Park, which originally sparked the debate.

“We spent all morning talking about improving South Overton, and the area isn’t the biggest concern…it’s whether or not that somebody can serve a taco down there,” Martin remarked.

Klein’s attempt to remove Gibson’s amendment failed 4 to 3, Klein, Gilbreath, and Hernandez voting to return to the original amendment.

The second reading of the amendment, complete with Gibson’s amendment passed 5 to 2, Klein and Gilbreath dissenting.