Poplar Bluff council advances JJ’s Cab application to Jan. 21 pending proof of commercial liability insurance

On Jan. 6, 2025, the Poplar Bluff City Council agreed to advance an application from JJ’s Cab to a Jan. 21 voting session after council members said they must see proof of commercial liability insurance and other documentation before approving a taxi license.

Interim City Manager Lori Phelps explained the application process and said a public hearing was not required because the city’s only current cab company, Patriot Transportation, had submitted a letter saying it did not object. Council members pressed the applicant on safety and insurance after staff noted the city has received complaints about the company’s past operations and that an earlier driver had been involved in an accident with a police officer.

Joshua Counts, identified in the agenda as the owner, told the council he had shut down operations following a 2022 health issue and asked for another chance. ‘‘We just really want another chance to try to make it better and proper,’’ Counts said, adding he would let his manager present details.

Shauna Allen, who identified herself as manager of JJ’s Cab since October 2020 and a Poplar Bluff resident, told the council she has tightened hiring and runs background checks on drivers. ‘‘I make them give me a background check, and I check their backgrounds, and I make sure that they are suitable for the company,’’ Allen said. She said the company currently has two vehicles and that both policies showed $50,000 in liability coverage per vehicle.

Council members and one speaker who identified as an insurance agent said the city requires commercial liability insurance for taxi operations, not a personal auto policy. ‘‘The concern is the liability, but you need commercial liability,’’ a council member said. Staff also told the council the clerk’s office issues permits, motor pool inspects vehicles (every six months), and the police department runs driver fingerprinting and background checks.

City counsel advised the council it could either table the matter to a date certain or move it to the Jan. 21 voting session and, if conditions were unmet, defeat it then. The council voted to move the application to the Jan. 21 voting session with a stipulation that liability insurance be presented at that time; the voice vote carried.

Next steps: JJ’s Cab must deliver proof that the insurance is commercial liability (and other documentation counsel described) before the Jan. 21 vote for the council to consider final approval.