The Chattanooga City Council’s Legal and Legislative Committee decided this afternoon to keep the composition of the transportation board intact after officials discussed the issue of a conflict of interest involving industry members serving on the panel.
Councilman Dan Page made a motion to accept all recommendations for changes to the vehicles-for-hire ordinance except that which would have phased out those serving on the transportation board who previously had served on the old taxi and horse carriage board after those terms end. The motion passed the committee.
Mr. Page said officials should “give (the board) a chance to be successful” with its current membership.
Last week, officials had said they would look at the possibility of the board’s three industry members — George Fletcher of Mercury Cab, Tim Duckett of Millennium Taxi Service and Bruce Rollins of Chattanooga Carriage —being replaced by non-industry citizens once their terms end.
Critics — chiefly transportation board member and City Councilman Manny Rico — have said that the industry members have conflicts of interest by voting on issues that affect their competitors or potential competitors in the marketplace.
The full council is expected soon to consider a number of other changes to the recently updated transportation ordinance, including ending a mandate for seat belts on pedicabs and letting pedicabs operate on any “designated bicycle route.”
For complete coverage, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Or login with:
New Account