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Home My WebLink About06-23-1997 Meeting I I I PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - June 23, 1997 4:00 P.M. PRESENT: Hon'. Mayor Larry Sconyers, Mays, Chairman; Kuhlke, Zetterberg, members; R. Oliver, Administrator; B. Byrd-Pelaez, EO Director; J. Wall, Attorney; Rob Sherman, Stewart Walker, License & Inspection; A. McDill, Director Bush Field; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ASLO PRESENT: Sylvia Cooper, Augusta Chronicle; Rosemary Forrest, Metro Spirit and other members of the news media. The Clerk: We have a request for one addendum item: 1. Renovations to dorm building at Augusta-Richmond County 4-H Camp needed because of age and condition of building. Mr. Oliver: We're making a recommendation that we have to decide what our function is and we think that would be better provided with volunteer labor, it's about $7,000 in labor and about $500 in materials and we think it would be better provided by 4-H we think they do wonderful work, however, we don't see that as a responsibility of government. Mr. Todd: I will so move that we purchase material and let the Administrator and the 4-H Director work out how the labor will be handled. Mr. John Swiney, President of the AFLCIO, is looking for some summer projects for his craftsmen and there is a good possibility that if you contact Mr. Larry Phillips, who we all know is on the Citizens Committee for the jail, we might be able to arrange labor for carpenters, plumbers, electricians even laborers. I'm making that recommendation as one of the contacts. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A communication from the Attorney requesting to adopt an Ordinance amending the Augusta-Richmond County Code, Title 6, Chapter 7, Article 2, relating to taxicabs to further provide for independent contractor status. ,Mr. Wall: This item was brought to you before. Mr. Todd, you asked me to carry this to the other taxi cab companies. I have written a letter and I have not heard from anyone. I don't know if you want to delay it further or take any action. It has no financial impact on the\County. And it's something that all taxi cab companies will benefit from. the on. Mr. Todd: No, I just think that when we are talking cab company that the other one or two need to know what's I so move that we approve. about going Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Mr. Mays: Were the cab companies notified that there was going to be a change per say, or where they given a copy of the I ordinance or whatever? And I guess what my concern lS, and the reason why I will vote no, is only because I was not here when this was discussed and because of something I did today. Sometimes, when changes, whether they have an affect or not, if they are affecting a particular industry, it may be positive, it may be negative, or it may have no impact. And I agreed today that I wouldn't go ahead with any type of voting due to the fact that this was something they wanted to discuss with their drivers. Mr. Wall: Let me make a suggestion that we postpone this for another two weeks. After further discussion; Mr. Wall: Mr. Mays, when I said I sent out a letter, I didn't attempt to identify all of the cab companies. I notified the owners that contacted me and I did forward them a copy ot the ordinance. They made some recommendations and I did incorporate those. It's not an IRS issue, it's a liability issue, it's a workers compensation issue to the owners of the cab companies. If we wanted to regulate them, then in my mind to the extent that we can be business friendly and build in the provisions and react to court decisions that impact that industry, I don't have a problem with it. It does not change the governments role in this area at all. This was a request from basically, a business and an indus~ry and since it had no negative impact on the government, I saw no reason not to present it in the form of an ordinance. We are not changing any provisions that now exist in the ordinance. The only thing we are changing is, firming up the relationship, clarifying some of the language between the driver and the company that he drives for. This has nothing to do with the public at large. The insurance requirements are still there. We provide in the ordinance already for an independent contractor. It's a technical type language that will in essence benefit the taxi cab company in the event they are sued for workers compensation. That's where this comes into play. After further discussion; Mr. Zetterberg: I would like to amend the motion to postpone this for two weeks and to relax the haze on the cabs and the limousines and to direct the attorney to get with the airport director on limousine pickups. And to look at relaxing the ordinance as far as the number of cabs and limousines in the city. Mr. Todd: Second. " After further discussion; Motion carried unanimously. A communication from the Administrator requesting to Approve amendment of Scrap Tire Cleanup (STPC 121-16) Grant Contract with I I I I I Georgia Environmental Protection Division to amend contract amount from $20,055.00 to the final dollar amount from $20,055.00 to the final dollar amount of $53,739.83 after proper documentation has been received by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the sites have been checked. Mr. Todd: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A communication from the Attorney requesting Ordinance revising Title 4, Section 4-2-26 of the County Codes regarding interference with garbage approval of an Augusta-Richmond receptacles. Mr. Wall: The County has always had an Ordinance against unauthorized dumping into dumpsters. The placement of that section in the new code has led some concern about whether or not this is applicable within the urban services district, since there were some special provisions dealing with the urban services district. In order to clarify that we asked for this amendment. This is again the cleanup of the code provision. Mr. Todd: So move. Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A communication from Al McDill, Director Bush Field requesting an agreement with AirTech at a cost of $58,000 to conduct an Air Service Market Area Analysis/Economic Impact Study pertaining to the Augusta-Richmond County air service market area. Mr. McDill: This particular item is something that a number of you have expressed an interest in. Since I have been here you have asked questions about what are we going to do about enhancing the air service at the airport. Often communities start these programs by taking some people from the Chamber of Commerce and going to visit the different airlines thinking that they are actually going to accomplish something, when in fact, you have to have the information in hand to provide to the airline to substantiate the case that there is the potential for a profit. Since deregulation of the airline industry, it's strictly about a profit as far as the airline is concerned. And no one since the civil areonautics board,has been able to regulate the industry. They can come and go as they see fit, subject to the contract with the community. The essential purpose of this is to identify what the market area is, the potential of the market and then to devise a means in which we can address the service requirements. The airport Commission has approved a budget of $60,000. And the approval by the airport commission was subject to legal review. Mr. Wall: And everything looks good, but in the contract you wanted not to exceed $58,000. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Todd: Second. Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission bjb n I I I-