Council to amend cab ordinance, get rid of cap on licenses

Grappling with the stark reality that Nome currently has no legal taxi cab service taking people from A to B, the Nome Common Council continues to be under pressure to amend the current taxi cab regulating code to be more amenable to taxi companies and encourage businesses to become legal in their cab services.
Two outfits offer much needed taxi services in Nome. One is Checker Cab, a company that has served Nome for decades and until recently was the last cab company still operating until its owner Rodney Jones let his six cab licenses lapse at the beginning of the year. The other cab driver is Steve Longley, who has a chauffeur license but holds no license for a taxi cab car. He openly admits to operate in a gray zone, giving rides for donations, which he then passes along to his daughter’s cheerleading team. Longley has repeatedly criticized the city’s ordinance as it is not enforced and suggested to get rid of the ordinance that sets requirements for a vehicle to become licensed. Longley said that probably no cab service was ever legally operating in Nome under this ordinance. Per the ordinance, the council from time to time is to revisit how many taxi licenses are given out, based on what the market would allow to assure that cabs are economically viable. Currently, the city has set that number at 11 licenses, or medallions. It prescribes that cabs be marked with the company’s name, a vehicle number in contrasting colors with eight inch letters. The ordinance further requires regular vehicle inspections by an inspector or garage designated by the chief of police.
Before the council, in first reading, was an amendment to the ordinance that sought to eliminate the cap on the number of available taxicab licenses and to ease the signage on cabs. Basically, an amended ordinance would do away with the council dictating how many cabs can be driving on Nome’s roads, would absolve the city from conducting a lottery and allow anybody with a valid chauffeur license and meeting the requirements for the vehicle (insurance, proper signage, proof of current vehicle inspection, and proof of ownership of the vehicle) to run a taxi business. The application fee is $100 per vehicle and the license would be valid for one year.
The council discussed if the insurance requirements should be increased to demand a commercial vehicle insurance. Council members also wanted to address the gray areas in which Longley operates to put a stop to rides for donations.
Council member Scot Henderson asked: If this ordinance passes next Monday, will the city be able to begin enforcing the ordinance on Tuesday? Well, said City Manager Lee Smith, the city is in between police chiefs and a timeframe will be necessary to get the inspection question resolved as that would require the presence of a chief of police.
The council passed the ordinance through first reading. The council is scheduled for a special meeting next Monday, February 2, to vote on the amended ordinance. During second reading of ordinance votes, a public hearing is held to give the public an opportunity to weigh in.
City Manager Smith then introduced Sgt. Brandon Barry, who will serve as acting chief of police for now.
In other business, Smith reported that the city has major boiler problems at city facilities including City Hall, the Rec Center and the Foster Building. On Monday, City Hall was temporarily shut down as the boiler malfunctioned and the temperature dropped down to 40°F. Council member Henderson inquired to hire a full time plumber or boiler and maintenance expert to look after the city’s aging infrastructure. Smith agreed and suggested to include that in the next budget, and the position could be shared with other entities such as the school district and NJUS.
The council heard from former Nomeite Marianna Mallory with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, who presented on a subsistence harvest survey to be conducted in Nome in April.
Nome Eskimo Community asked the council to approve their tax exempt status despite having missed the deadline, but City Clerk Dan Grimmer said the request has been denied as tribal governments don’t qualify for exemptions, only the city, the state, the federal government, educational entities, non-profit organizations and the hospital. Council member Mark Johnson requested to look into changing the tax exemption ordinance to include local tribal governments.
The council was supposed to go on a tour of the schools on Thursday to visit the Nome Elementary School and Nome-Beltz campus but by Tuesday, the school visit was postponed.
The council then recessed into an executive session to discuss legal matters. No action was taken after the session.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 2 at 7p.m.