Information Items:
Information for Responding to Transit Questions
Staff Resource: Ron Tober, 704-336-7245
At the request of the Metropolitan Transit Commission at its April meeting, staff has prepared information in response to some of the more frequently heard criticisms or questions on the area's transit/land use strategy. The attached briefing paper is for your information and use in responding to such comments or questions. CATS staff has a library of reports and other material to document the information provided here, should you find you need it.
The John Locke Foundation will be having a "Town Hall Meeting on Light Rail" on Thursday, June 24, 2004. We have not received specific details about the program, nor has staff been formally approached about participating, but we did want you to be aware that this was upcoming.
Passenger Vehicle for Hire Citations
Staff Resource: Joe Vanderlip, 704-398-6793
- In 2000, the City Council approved revisions to Chapter 22 of the City Code in an effort to better regulate the entire local passenger vehicle for hire (PVH) industry. This includes all taxicabs and limousines operating within the city limits. The new chapter went into effect on July 1, 2001. For the past three (3) years, the City's PVH staff has been working to implement, publicize, and enforce the new chapter's requirements.
- Two key components of the chapter are driver training and civil fines. When the chapter first became effective, it required all drivers to attend a training course approved by, (but not provided by), PVH staff. However, there was no private provider of such a course in Charlotte. PVH staff sought out such a provider during 2003 and established an approved course in February of this year.
- At the same time, PVH staff began providing training to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers to promote enforcement. Increased officer participation resulted in a rapid increase in enforcement of the ordinance from December 2003 through March 2004.
- The timing of those two factors resulted in an unusual situation where enforcement outpaced driver training and precipitated an unusually high number of civil fines. Under the chapter's enforcement provisions, drivers are subject to fines that escalate quickly from $200 up to $2000 per incident. Additionally, a company is eligible to be fined $5,000 once its drivers have tallied a total dollar amount of $1,250 in assessed fines. With the current escalating fine structure, it is easily possible for a single company driver to reach that total very quickly.
- City PVH staff feel that strict enforcement of the escalating penalties at this time will not promote ordinance compliance and will unnecessarily penalize drivers that have not been given an adequate opportunity to complete training.
- Most current violations result from drivers being unaware of ordinance requirements, rather than a purposeful intent to evade the ordinance.
- There has been an increasingly downward trend in the number of issued citations since March, when formal training began. This trend is expected to continue as more industry drivers complete the training.
- Drivers have filled every session of the training course since it became available. At current enrollment rates, approximately 90% of all drivers will have completed the training course by December 31, 2004.
- To promote continued ordinance compliance and training, while avoiding over-penalizing drivers, PVH staff will implement an interim measure in which all civil citations will be assessed as initial fines, without the fine escalation, until December 31, 2004. City legal staff concurs that the PVH Manager is given the discretion by ordinance to implement the above measure.
- The measure will be discontinued as of January 1, 2005, after the majority of drivers have had the opportunity to receive training.
Small Business Development Pgm. Hosts Two Focus Groups
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862
The Small Business Development Program continuously strives to receive feedback from the contracting community on the SBO Program. In order to continue this dialogue, the SBDP will be hosting two focus groups to solicit feedback on specific elements of the program: Good Faith Efforts and Mandatory Outreach. Community Relations Committee staff is working with SBDP staff to outline a format for each session and will be on hand to facilitate the groups.
Two sessions (flyer attached), both AM and PM, are scheduled for June 30, 2004 at the Government Center.
Freedom Drive Neighborhood Water Quality Testing
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5073
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities continues water quality testing and hydrant flushing and will start replacing a 1,400-foot section of water line within the next few days in part of a small neighborhood off Freedom Drive.
In the meantime, temporary above-ground water service lines are being installed beginning this afternoon and should be in service by tomorrow (Thursday) evening.
The existing two-inch neighborhood water line is negatively affecting water quality in a limited area, and Utilities advised roughly 22 homes yesterday between the 6200 block and 6400 block of Elmwood Circle that as a safety precaution they should not drink their tap water until further notice. This is strictly a precautionary measure. Those affected residents are being given and re-supplied with bottled water to drink, and they are able to use their current tap water for other purposes besides drinking.
Replacing the pipe and fully restoring water service on the new permanent pipe should be complete within the next two weeks.
