The Prince George's County Council approved tow truck regulations, check-cashing start-up rules, zoning changes and long-delayed appointments amid debate Tuesday that it was delaying some actions and rushing others through on its last official day of legislative action this year.
The nine-member group took on more than 30 bills, appointments and resolutions. The group is scheduled to meet once more on Dec. 1, when council members will elect a new president to replace outgoing Chairwoman Marilynn M. Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton. A new council leader is selected each year.
"It hasn't been easy, but I appreciate it," Bland said of her year at the helm as she thanked the council for their help.
As in most years, the final day was stuffed with a backlog of unfinished business that the council had not resolved since January. Any bill that not passed will need to be reintroduced when the council reconvenes next year.
Some items that passed have lingered for years. Members voted unanimously to pass a new series of towing regulations that impose higher license fees and disclosure requirements on tow truck drivers in an attempt to curb illegal towing in the county.
The bill was introduced two years ago, after a Landover man was killed while chasing a tow truck driver who had taken his car. Towing company owners have since worked with the county to overhaul industry rules.
"It's not often that you see an industry calling for more regulation on itself," said Richard Chambers, owner of Prince George's Towing. "But we have a real problem."
The regulations were opposed by speakers with the AAA Mid-Atlantic driving organization, who worried that the new license fees could reduce competition and increase costs for drivers needing a tow.
Council members said they understood the concerns, but wanted to move forward.
"We can't afford to delay. It's been too many years already," said Councilman Thomas Dernoga (D-Dist. 1) of Laurel.
A more recent bill that would require the council to approve new check cashing businesses in the county narrowly passed in spite of rebukes from industry leaders. The bill was sponsored by Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2) of Hyattsville, who said the businesses are often seen as signs of blight in communities.
"What we're saying to the community is that you will have a say if you want these businesses in your community or not," Campos said before the 5-to-4 vote. "What I'm trying to do is enhance the image of Prince George's County, not P.G. County."
Campos' bill drew criticism from area check cashing businesses, who said they were being unfairly targeted for society's problems.
"You were not elected to uphold prejudicial perceptions. You were elected to solve real problems," said Steve Goldberg, owner of Eastover Liquors, which also provides check-cashing services. "Good intentions are not enough to justify this bill."
Some council members said the group should not pass a flawed bill.
"It seems as if [the industry] is willing to work with us," said Bland, who voted against the bill along with council members Samuel L. Dean (D-Dist. 6) of Mitchellville, Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Capitol Heights and Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills. "Passing it really just creates more work for us."
Other controversial items were taken off the table without discussion. Without giving a reason, Dean withdrew several bills he had proposed to create a new zoning class for mixed-use development in transit areas.
The new rules — introduced two weeks ago — had the potential to let the council pass new developments in its final year of office that could not be revoked by future councils or the public. Under the changes Dean proposed, council staff said, developers would be able to get approval for a new mixed-use project from a council, wait several years and then build their development without approval of the District Council or public hearings.
"It was a complex bill that a lot of municipalities and people had concerns about," said Dernoga, who said the pre-approval measure was one of the issues.
Council members had debated the bill at length several weeks ago. Bland and Dean, who cannot seek office next year due to term limits, said they support the change.
Guaranteeing future construction helps developers by eliminating doubts that future groups could derail a project years in the making.
"This is what happens," Bland said previously. "A new group of folks come in — I've had this occur — and everything that had been approved is thrown out."
Council members also faced scrutiny from upset cab drivers over what they did not do in 2009. To mark the council's last day, about 30 drivers protested Tuesday morning at the administration building, waving signs and honking horns.
The protest came nearly a year after drivers first protested at county headquarters asking for new regulations for the county's taxi industry. Drivers say a few major cab companies hold the rights to the county's 785 licenses for taxis and rent them at high rates to independent drivers. Though council members introduced a bill at the drivers' request in October to add more licenses and change industry practices, the council ultimately dropped the measure and appointed a task force to study the concerns.
"They should take care of this business now," said Brian Holmes, a Mitchellville taxi driver. "It's cowardly to walk away from a problem that affects everybody in Prince George's County."
Council members did not respond to cab drivers at their meeting.
