August 26, 1998

TO:Emergency and Protective Services Committee

FROM:Carol Ruddell-Foster, General Manager

SUBJECT:The Task Force to Review the Taxi Industry

The 1999 Licensing Fee report does not include any allocation of funds for possible recommendations arising from the Task Force report. Licensing staff have a dilemma. The Taxicab license fees must be approved at the very latest at the November 25, 1998 Council meeting so that we have time to print and process the renewal notices and have them mailed out in time for the renewals which commence February 1, 1999. If Committee anticipates that by mid October 1998 there will be sufficient information available to anticipate any additional expenditures required by the Task Force report, the portion of the fee report dealing with the Taxicab Industry could be severed from the remaining license fees and held in abeyance until the November 3, 1998 Committee meeting. This creates a very tight time schedule and there will be no flexibility for additional meetings as the report would need to go on to the November 25, 1998 Council meeting.

If the preference of Committee to wait until Council has approved the recommendations of the Task Force and if there are any proposals that require additional funding Council could recommend an additional mid-term levy on taxicab owners and drivers or Council could decide to absorb the additional costs, if any, in 1999 but include the expenditures in the year 2000 license fees.

Submitted for your information and direction.

Carol Ruddell-Foster

General Manager

Reviewed by:

__________________________________

Virginia M. West, Commissioner

Urban Planning and Development Services

File:taxi-ind.eps