LAKE FOREST — With the advent of more vehicles for hire than ever before, Lake Forest is considering reducing regulations placed on taxi cab companies to put them on an even footing with businesses like Uber and Lyft.
The Lake Forest City Council discussed but took no action on a report from City Manager Robert Kiely and Police Commander Craig Lepkowski outlining potential regulatory schemes for vehicles for hire at its regularly scheduled meeting Nov. 2 at City Hall.
The consensus of the aldermen who spoke was a desire to reduce the current regulations on taxis like background checks and finger printing since doing the same for services like Uber and Lyft is difficult at best, according to Mayor Donald Schoenheider.
In other action, the council approved contracts totaling approximately $1.5 million for the second stage of the renovation of the downtown train station leaving between $300,000 and $350,000 for the third phase.
When it comes to ride service regulation, Lepkowski said in his report the city could continue its current policy of licensing, doing background checks and fingerprinting taxi drivers; outsource the regulatory work; charge a sticker fee to all services or curtail all regulation.
“We could contract the work out or just leave it up to the company to do background checks,” Kiely said in response to a question from Alderman CatherineWaldeck about outsourcing the police investigatory work. Lepkowski said he is unsure how much it actually helps.
“It doesn’t really filter out all the convictions,” Lepkowski said.
City attorney Victor Filippini said a lack of regulation will reduce the city’s exposure to litigation should a problem arise from any of the providers whether they are taxi cabs, Uber, Lyft or a limousine service.
“We have tort immunity,” Filippini said. “We have more liability if we regulate than if we do nothing.”
Taxi cabs are the only service that can currently park in cab stands at Lake Forest’s two train stations to solicit business from disembarking passengers but nothing bars someone getting off a train and contracting with a private driver.
“All we do is regulate who can queue up at a taxi stand,” Lepkowski said. “If someone hires an Uber driver they can just pull up in front of the station.”
Among Lake Forest’s neighbors, Highland Park, Deerfield and Bannockburn regulate taxi services while Lake Bluff and Highwood do not, according to the report.
“There is no appropriate manner with which to regulate all vehicles for hire,” Lepkowski said in the report. “Uber, Lyft, limos and cabs are all available by telephone, online request and, most recently mobile apps. Regulating passenger drop offs in the city limits is an impossible task.
After listening to the discussion, Alderman Jack Reisenberg said it may be time to end regulation.
“So you are telling us with the impossibility less is more,” Reisenberg said.
East Train Station contracts approved
The council unanimously approved contracts with MAG Construction in the amount of $1,394,329 and Gewalt-Hamilton Associates for $116,290 to complete the second stage of the downtown railroad depot renovation. The city will pay 20 percent of the cost and the remainder will come from an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Grant.
“They have been commissioned by the city before and their work has been done on time and within budget,” Michael Strong, the assistant to the city manager, said. “We expect to start in February or March weather depending.”
Strong said the project began three years ago with a new roof and the second phase includes tuck pointing and painting the station’s exterior. He said the rest of the grant money will be used for interior upgrades once the outside tasks are complete.
“We were hoping we could have $500,000 to $700,000 left over for interior work but it looks more like $300,000 to $350,000. That still gives us enough to make the bathrooms ADA compliant,” Strong said.