Minutes 07/20/1954 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2E TUESDAY JULY 20, 1954 In accordance with prescribed procedure Council called for a public hearing on said proposed rezoning to be conducted at the regular Council moeting to be held August 10, 1954. Council also received from City Manager 1/Iathewson notice of the appointing of Nil'. L. J. Judkins (formerly Electrical Inspector) to the position of Warehouse-Garage ,- Superintendent. In cons:Ldering the item on the agenda--the purpose for -.Thich this meeting was called-- Council not only discussed the proposed bus franchise as placed on first reading July 13, 1954 but also received from City IV".:anager Mathewson the following memorandLml and draft of an alternate (proposed) bus franchise: ~5~ ~~ i You have received a proposed bus franchise from the grantee. Attached is an alternate franchise for your consideration. It has been prepared by the YlTiter 'with the thought that the Council would welcome more than one proposal on a matter as important as the one before us. Likev;ise, it is my feeling that the grantee is sincerely and conscientiously seeking a franchise that will best serve the public interest. ,'~ In a recent report of a nationally recognized firm of Transportation Engineers - Simpson & C1..lrtin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ha\'iley S. Simpson has this to say: liThe urban transit industry is almost universalJ.,y being presented to the public as a "'sick industry" and with considf',:,able justification. Bus systems in cities large and. small have been acquired by their municipalities and a few transit systems have gone out of exis tence. II I believe that during the life of the franchise before us and possibly during the early part of its life, the local bus c ompa:1Y will be faced;'ri th the Utr.1OSt need for prudent and conservative operation if a fair return is to be realizoci on the investment of the business and possibly to avoid actual financial loss. ,- If this be the case, Council should exercise extreme care not to put itself in the position to ass1uning the responsibility for meeting the desires of the public (through regulation of the bus company) \Tlth respect to bus service unless the Council (and public) is prepared to possibly subsidize, through direct operation or othe~Nise, the local bus system. In our effort to protect the public welfare we must guard against saddling the public with an economic liability. Government regulation and government subsidies often go hand-in-hand.