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Votes at a glance: committee approves taxi‑fare increases and approves minutes
Summary
The Sustainability and Transportation Committee approved the meeting minutes and voted to amend Chapter 30 taxi fares to raise the base drop fee and airport minimum and to increase per‑mile and wait‑time charges; staff will present the ordinance to the full council.
At the July 16 meeting the committee took two formal actions: it approved minutes from a prior meeting and voted to amend the city taxi‑fare schedule in Chapter 30.
Minutes: The committee voted to approve the minutes (the transcript records affirmative votes by Councilor Ali, Councilor Bullitt and Chair Regina Phillips). The item was recorded as approved during the meeting.
Taxi‑fare amendment: The committee voted to amend the taxi fare schedule and send the ordinance to the full council. Staff presented a set of proposed rate changes as a starting point for the committee:
- Initial drop charge: increase from $1.90 to $4.00 (align with comparable New England jurisdictions). - Per‑mile rate: adjust the per‑mile equivalent from about $3.00 to $3.50 per mile (presented as a per‑tenth increment in code). - Waiting time: increase from $0.40 to $0.50 per minute (equivalent to $24/hour → $30/hour). - Airport minimum fee: raise the Jetport minimum fee from $5 to $10.
Staff indicated these proposed rates were aligned with comparable fees in Manchester, NH and Burlington, VT, and recommended the council consider adding an automatic annual adjustment tied to a published index (so fares do not remain unchanged for long periods). No public commenters were recorded on the item at committee. The committee moved the ordinance forward; council staff expect a first reading at the city council and a subsequent second reading to follow under the standard ordinance process.
Ending: The committee approved the minutes and advanced the taxi‑fare ordinance to the city council for consideration. Staff will post proposed ordinance language and coordinate outreach with taxi operators before the council hearing.
