Warner Robins City Council to change taxi ordinance

A state law that went into effect in July is causing the Warner Robins City Council to consider lessening its licensing fee for taxicab services and ridding the ordinance of several rules.

The new law, which exists in response to the increasing popularity of ridesharing services, places the licensing of taxicab services into the purview of the state Department of Public Safety, allowing for little local control, said Assistant City Attorney Kristi Minor.

“Basically, the new state law kind of took over the registration and basically pre-empted us from regulating them on certain levels,” Minor said. “(The law) just provides we can only do certain things such as charge a regulatory fee and it takes away a lot of authority we once had and gives it to the state.”

The council is scheduled to take up the licensing fee and ordinance during its Tuesday meeting.

The cost for operating a one- or two-car taxicab service in the city is $188 and $471 for a two-to-five-car service plus an extra $41 per vehicle, according to the current ordinance. However, the new law places a $100 cap on what municipalities can charge for registration.

The state is also responsible for vehicle inspections, background checks, licensing and insurance requirements for drivers, all of which are currently covered in the current ordinance.

In other business Tuesday, the first reading of the millage rate is expected. This year’s millage rate is projected to be 9.9 mills, the same as it’s been since 2011. A final reading and adoption is set for the Sept. 21 meeting.

Tuesday’s meetings begin with a pre-council meeting at 4 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 700 Watson Blvd.

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Warner Robins City Council to change taxi ordinance ."