May (2018) Was Reform Month

At the May 22nd meeting of the City Commission the licensing of the following items was repealed:

• "pay to play" devices (aka "amusements").
• coin operated laundries. It has been officially determined that a laundromat poses no threat to the community! Come the inevitable Rise Of The Machines it is now generally accepted that our friends the Washers and Dryers will stand beside humanity against the legions of Sky Net.
• coin-operated car-washes
• motor vehicle rentals
• ambulances. Ambulance licensing is duplicative; ambulances are regulated by the state.

The "Special Event Permit" has also been repealed; the Special Events department has an overlapping, and more current, process for licensing special events.

The publication of a complete replacement of the pedi-cab ordinance has been authorized; the measure will be considered for adoption on June 5th, 2018. The new ordinance [text here] is notably understandable and straight-forward.

Additionally the food truck PILOT program has been extended until January 31st, 2019. If not extended the trial period would have ended in September, during Art-Prize. Prior to that extended expiration the City Commission should receive the conclusion of the 2-year pilot study and hopefully move forward with a permanent ordinance.

These reforms are part of a process to ensure that the city's licensing policies are not burdensome, duplicate, or obsolete. Unnecessary regulation is often a facilitator of inequitable outcomes.

Put more plainly: the City Commission and staff should be commended for every step taken which increases the credibility of local government. We should not be ruled by the unmerited fears of a now fading generation.

Now, since we are speaking of regulations that cannot be credibly defended; about the Zoning Code . . .