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Committee moves to restore taxicab board and shift fees to council-approved schedule
Summary
Committee members agreed to revise the 1979 taxicab ordinance by reinstating the taxicab board, removing a fixed-dollar fee from the code, and moving fare/permit amounts to a council-approved fee schedule; staff will draft an updated Chapter 7.61 for council consideration.
Findlay's Street, Sidewalks and Parking Committee agreed to revise the city's taxicab regulations, restoring a taxicab board and replacing prescriptive fee language with a council-approved fee schedule.
Staff introduced proposed updates to the city's 1979 taxicab ordinance after the auditor's office requested clarifying language to clear legacy bond funds. A staff member summarized council feedback that removing the taxicab board entirely could leave too much unilateral authority with staff and suggested reinstating the board that historically included the mayor, police chief and service-safety director (with the option to add a council member).
"I think she's being good in her thought process by not looking at just what we're doing now," a staff member said about council comments, noting the city needs flexibility as the industry changes. Staff proposed removing a specific dollar amount from the ordinance and moving to a fee schedule administered and approved by council, similar to other city fee schedules.
A committee motion to retain the taxicab board, adopt a council-approved fee schedule and remove section 7.61.06 (and any language giving unilateral regulatory authority to a single director) carried by voice vote. Staff said they will prepare revised language for Chapter 7.61 and proceed through regular readings, without emergency enactment, allowing council to amend during the reading process.
Next steps: staff will draft the revised Chapter 7.61, circulate it for review and present it to council for the standard reading process; the committee asked that affected taxi operators be given opportunity to comment during the ordinance process.
