As promised, Cleveland City Council passed sweeping new legislation that will help food truck operators succeed. Despite a lengthy -- and at times contentious -- process, City Council not only made good on its promises to modernize and streamline the rules of play, but actually improved upon the proposed package.

Mayor Frank Jackson was expected to sign the legislation this week.

According to Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose ward includes much of downtown, the new legislation would have limited food trucks to only a handful of downtown zones. What passed appears to be broader, with as many as eight permissible spots at which to circle the chuck wagons.

City Council also lengthened the permissible hours of operation, giving truck operators access to the lucrative post-bar business.

Before this revision, truck operators were required to obtain over a dozen separate permits, provide detailed external and internal architectural plans of their rig, fill out a 50-page application, and pay as much as $3,000 in application fees. The prize waiting for those who made it out of that process was confusing, contradictory and business-killing regulations.

This is great news not only for the existing and planned food trucks, but also for the City of Cleveland.

"[Food trucks] are successful micro-economic development engines that are creating independent wealth in one of the worst recessions in decades," says Lizzy Caston, a communications pro who consults with cities on modernizing food truck policy.