KNOXVILLE (WATE) – Knoxville City Council voted to approve a new food truck ordinance Tuesday night after months of discussions.

Among other provisions, the ordinance requires food trucks with smokers to operate no less than 100 feet away from residential properties. Food trucks without smokers only have to be at least 15 feet away.

“I’m really happy that they did vote in this direction because I enjoy making people happy and people happy when they eat Barbecue,” said Patrick Tracy, owner of Holy Smokin BBQ.

The ordinance also makes several other changes to the pilot program in place since April 2014. The pilot program had a tiered permitting fee system. Units operating only on private property paid $200 a year while those also operating in designated zones in the public rights-of-way paid $400 a year. Food truck operators would now be charged a flat $200 and the renewal fee is only $50.Previous story:Knoxville city leaders postpone voting on food truck ordinance

The vote was postponed several times to allow for more public discussion on the issue. One point of contention was whether food trucks would be allowed to have smokers due to concerns about lingering smells and other health issues.

The ordinance will require a second reading in two weeks before it becomes final.

“Well we’re disappointed that they did not remove the smokers and I believe that in the future when more people are affected by this then they may be complaining about the current ordinance and will be asking for it to be amended and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” said Larry Silverstein, a concerned Knoxville resident.