Sustainability and Transportation Committee

Sustainability& Transportation MEMBERS Committee Agenda Councilor Regina Phillips, Chair Councilor Pious Ali, At-Large July 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM Councilor Anna Bullett, District 4 The Sustainability and Transportation Committee will conduct this meeting remotely via Zoom. Allow your computer to install the free Zoom app to get the best meeting experience. If you are not able to attend live either in person or via Zoom, a recording will be available in the Agenda Center following the meeting. For public comment via Zoom, you will need to use the "raise your hand" feature. To raise your hand via the telephone, please hit *9. You will be unmuted by the host when it is time for public comment. https://portlandmaine- gov.zoom.us/j/89952567500?pwd=zLf7HunT yswwcokWAwAlXBHcv0WNXl.1 1. Review and approve minutes from June 16, 2025 a. Minutes from June 16, 2025 2. Program Updates a. Sustainability Updates b. Portland International Jetport Infrastructure Improvement Project Updates Presenter: Paul Bradbury No public comment will be taken 3. Presentation and Discussion Public comment may be taken a. Overview of CMP's Portland Area Grid Project Presenters: Jay Chace and Chris Morin from Central Maine Power No public comment will be taken b. Issue review: Naming policy for public facilities Presenter: Masi Ngidi-Brown No public comment will be taken Page 1  c. Amendments to Chapter 30 -- Vehicles for Hire (Taxi fare increase) Presenter: Troy Moon Public comment will be taken. 4. Other Business Page 2  CITY OF PORTLAND, MAINE Committee on Sustainability and Transportation Councilor Regina Phillips (D3), Chair Councilor Pious Ali (At-Large) Councilor Anna Bullett (D4) Draft Minutes June 16, 2025 Members Present: Councilor Phillips, Councilor Bullett, Councilor Ali, Other Councilors Present: Mayor Dion, Councilor Pelletier, Councilor Michniewicz, Councilor Grant, Councilor Sykes Staff Present: Troy Moon, Katie Tims, Karly Meyer, Kevin Kraft, Nell Donaldson, Greg Jordan, Tony Wirkus, Michael Goldman, Jeremiah Bartlett, Mike Murray, Bruce Hyman, Keith Gray Meeting was called to order. May 14, 2025 Meeting Minutes The May 14, 2025 meeting minutes were approved unanimously. Transportation Updates Jeremiah Bartlett notes that the City is working on a number of efforts speaking to Vision Zero and is also partnering with GPCOG on a major demonstration project on Washington Ave. City Staff will be holding a 2-day design workshop on Wednesday, June 25th and Thursday, June 26th, to be held at the Rines Auditorium, in the Main Portland Library, 5 Monument Square. These public engagement events will offer opportunities for design feedback and visioning related to Franklin Street. We have been working with MEDOT on analysis related to Brighton Avenue (particularly Rosemont Corner section) and contemplating intersection options available to us. This dovetails with the next round of the Bus Rapid Transit project; this work should begin soon. On the Redesign of Forest Avenue, just south of Exit 6 through to Park Avenue, after recent discussion with Maine DOT, this work is going to be managed jointly with the State St and High St work, so that the design and the outcomes, and ideally the construction of all of those can be coordinated in a meaningful and strategic way. The final design bid documents for the Union Branch Path were completed in April and are currently being reviewed by the City’s Purchasing Department with the project aiming to go out to bid in June for construction to begin in Summer 2025. Kevin Kraft shares that staff are finalizing the RFP and scope of work on the Comprehensive Transportation Plan and should that that out in a few weeks. Page 3 Sustainability Updates City staff have been meeting with CMP to review their Area Grid Project involving upgrades to transmission and infrastructure in the region. City staff hope there are areas to collaborate, especially during major construction projects such as the Franklin Street Redesign. CMP is planning to submit their final plan to the PUC in July and has offered to brief the committee on their updates. Now that it’s summer, we are also working on engagement efforts around sustainable landcare, and on June 11, we hosted our first Landcare Lunch Break webinar of the season discussing invasive species in Maine and how to effectively remove them. We have two more webinars this summer, all published online in our library of webinars. Complete Streets Policy Update Presented by Nell Donaldson, Director of Special Projects In March 2025, the S&T Committee reviewed the existing Complete Streets policy, originally written in 2012, and determined that the Planning Department should undertake the process of updating that policy again. Over the last 3 months, Planning staff started with an assessment of the existing policy, looking at national best practice, and made some initial edits to the policy with peers at DPW. The draft policy was then shared in feedback and review sessions with an interdepartmental working group, including Public Health and Fire, a stakeholder group, consisting of representatives from Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the Portland Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Portland Trails, and others, and then finally with the public. With plenty of substantive feedback, Planning staff made additional revisions and produced a final red line document that simplified and reorganized the policy. Public Comment on Complete Streets Policy Update Winston Lumpkins is happy to see the final draft of the Complete Streets policy and thinks it is a significant improvement from the 2012 version. Lumpkins also notes that the policy does exempt temporary detour routes, which can be dangerous for vulnerable users. Councilor Comments on Complete Streets Policy Update Mayor Dion notes that some of the written testimony influenced his thinking in regards to defining a ‘street’. Perhaps in the future we will determine the fundamental definition of what we consider a street to be and what our responsibility is once it is constructed. Nell Donaldson responds in saying that we [Planning staff] spent some time on this during Recode, working with Corporation Council on our definitions of right-of-way, street, and other things within the land use code, so there is some frame of reference for these terms. We use in this policy, interchangeably, the concepts of street and right-of-way and so there is some room for confusion about that and we can think about that a little bit more. Councilor Bullett shares interest in a process where the S&T Committee is notified about exemptions to the Complete Streets Policy. Councilor Bullett also shares a technical comment about hyperlinking sections in the redlined document. Councilor Bullett’s last note is about Page 4 naming what it means to have a specific category of pedestrian (e.g. child) for certain mobility requirements in the policy. Councilor Phillips asks who is responsible for educating the public about pedestrian safety related to traffic and street operations. Nell Donaldson acknowledges that the way that streets have been designed for a long time doesn't lead to great safety outcomes when people are making the best decisions, but what this policy is trying to do is control the things we can control, the design of streets. We're never going to be able to control lots of individuals' behavior, but we can try to channel people into good decisions and control the physical space as well as we can.​ Motion to approve revisions to Complete Streets Policy Note that this motion to approve includes small edits requested by Councilor Bullett. The motion was moved by Councilor Bullett and seconded by Councilor Ali. The motion was accepted unanimously and will move forward to full City Council. Vision Zero Quick Action Plan Presented by Greg Jordan After the Council passed a resolution back in April adopting the GPCOG Vision Zero Plan, the City launched an internal task force on the Vision Zero plan and created a series of strategies to make progress on this. The ‘Quick Action Plan’, or strategies that we believe we can reasonably implement in the near term with existing capacity. These strategies are outlined in the agenda packet. Public Comment on Vision Zero Quick Action Plan Winston Lumpkins shares appreciation that the City is springing into action on this plan, and suggests that similar towns (Falmouth) use speed feedback signs to help slow drives down, but they force cyclists out of the shoulder and intro the travel lane and advocates that when putting those out to ensure they are not exacerbating the existing problem. Noah Grenier also shares appreciation for this quick action and progress being made for bicycle-pedetrian safety. Councilor Comments on Vision Zero Quick Action Plan Councilor Pelletier and Councilor Ali share appreciation for this action. Councilor Bullett raises the idea of making the walk signal time based on senior citizen’s average walk signal time given that nature of our aging population. Motion to approve Vision Zero Quick Action Plan The motion was moved by Councilor Bullett and seconded by Councilor Ali. The motion was accepted unanimously and will move forward to full City Council. Page 5 Proposed Moratorium on Theater and Performance Halls Presented by Kevin Kraft, Director of Planning and Urban Development In April 2025, there was a proposed moratorium to consider establishing a retroactive 180-day prohibition on theaters and performance hall projects with a capacity of more than 2,000 people. This was ultimately prompted due to the application from Live Nation for a new 3,300-seat music venue in downtown on a privately owned site that is currently under review by the Planning Board. The City Council referred that proposed moratorium to the S&T Committee to evaluate the underlying conditions and determine whether there was justification to support a moratorium, and if that exists. Maine law requires that any moratorium adopted by a municipality must be necessary and it must be needed to either prevent a shortage or overburdening of public facilities, or because the existing policies and regulations are found to be inadequate to prevent serious public harm. In terms of Portland’s public policies, data, and regulations, it is staff's recommendation that the conditions do not warrant the justification to support a moratorium focused on theaters and performance halls related to transportation-related impacts. Public Comment on Proposed Moratorium on Theater and Performance Halls A majority of the public comment weighed on the traffic the project would result in, lack of parking available, cost of parking, implications for the local music and arts scene, and surge prices on transportation. Public comment in favor noted the benefits that incomers would bring to the restaurant and hotel economy (particularly in the winter), the developers’ history of experience in the area, jobs this project will bring to the area (construction and operations), and the use of an unused surface level parking site. Councilor Comments on Proposed Moratorium on Theater and Performance Halls Before Councilor Comment, Director Kraft summarizes that the key points to touch on is the major focus on parking pressure and unsafe road conditions. And the purpose of the presentation and the memo was to reflect that there are adequate regulations in place, standards in place to fully vet those aspects through a reviewed project. That's what our staff does on a daily basis with applications before the planning board. He goes on to note that the project is outside of that 100-foot radius, which is measured from main entrance to main entrance. Councilor Pelletier notes that the traffic this project will cause, especially when a redesign of Franklin Street is imminent, is problematic and does not want to not lose sight of what a moratorium is, as it is a pause so that we can discuss solutions. Councilor Bullett points out that it was a missed opportunity to build community goodwill with this particular project. She goes on to share concerns for pedestrian safety, the loss of ADA accessibility on Myrtle Street. Merrill Auditorium and the Parks, Rec, Facilities Department have Page 6 been involved in conversations and coordination about how to handle operating two shows at the same time and organizing ADA accessibility. Many of these concerns are to be covered in the site plan review process (parking agreements, event management plan) and the traffic movement process and will be finalized if this application continues forward. Councillor Ali also shares concern for the impact on traffic and parking in the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Councilor Michniewicz also shares concern for the on-street parking nearby, but raises the question about how impact fees can be used to improve the area and the neighborhood. In terms of site plan review, projects are responsible for upgrading all of their directly abutting sidewalks, ensuring that they're meeting our minimum space requirements and also bringing all sidewalks up to ADA accessibility. They also have to upgrade the directly adjacent intersection improvements, so a project like this is going to be looking at improvements to the intersections at Cumberland and Pearl, Cumberland and Myrtle, as well as potential improvements of Cumberland and Congress Street. In terms of impact fees (note: assessed to all projects), those go for signal enhancements across the city, they can also go towards a set of ten identified, larger transportation projects identified by the City Council back in 2018 (e.g. Franklin Street). Site plan review process and the traffic movement process are going to require mitigation improvements within the neighborhood. The impact fee transportation money goes into the city's general impact fee bucket, and then it's allocated by the City Council each year at the CIP.​ Mayor Dion notes that the evidence is pretty clear that there is an available pool of parking spots to meet the demand of this new venue. He reminds the council that our job has long been to design a city that would reduce the demand for individual cars, and invest in public transportation. We also have to adhere to rules. The applicant has followed process and it should be expected that they can satisfy their expectation if they've answered all the conditions that are placed before them during the planning process. But here we come with a moratorium. I think the moratorium predicated on parking alone fails.​ Councilor Sykes shares concern that we have shut down a tremendous swell of public opinion on this item and feels that it should be sent back to the full council so that they can hear from the public on this. Questions from several Councilors were answered related to construction material lay-down areas, operational questions for the music hall related to employee parking, estimated number of employees, cost of parking in the garage, and bus schedule adjustments. Councilor Phillips walks through her understanding of the committee’s decision tonight and shares agreement that this could go back to the Council to have more of a conversation, but ultimately feels that it is only appropriate to vote based on whether or not this project prompts a moratorium or not. Motion to approve Proposed Moratorium on Theater and Performance Halls Page 7 The motion was moved by Councilor Bullett and seconded by Councilor Ali. The motion was accepted unanimously and will move forward to full City Council. Motion to Adjourn The motion was moved by Councilor Ali and seconded by Councilor Bullett. The motion was approved 2-1. Meeting Adjourned Page 8 City of Portland | Sustainability Office Troy Moon, Director To: Sustainability and Transportation Committee Regina Phillips, Chair MEETING DATE July 9, 2025 AGENDA ITEM Agenda Item #2A– Sustainability Updates PURPOSE To update the committee regarding recent activities of the Sustainability Office to advance Council goals and objectives related to One Climate Future COMMITTEE WORK PLAN/CITY COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT These projects implement elements of the One Climate Future Plan or other Council goals. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS Project: Sustainable Neighborhoods On July 11 the Sustainability Office will launch Neighborhood Mini-grants. These grants, which are part of our Sustainable Neighborhoods program, will provide up to $500 to fund actions at the street or block level that achieve goals noted in our climate action plan, encourage social interaction between neighbors, and build social connections that can make a neighborhood more resilient during emergencies or times of stress. Proposed projects or actions must involve at least three separate households in close proximity to each other and must focus on their immediate neighborhood. Our website will provide some ideas for possible projects but we want to encourage applicants to think about what would be meaningful to their neighborhood and most helpful to connect neighbors with each other. 1 Page 9 Project: Community Resilience On July 8 we convened a meeting of the interdepartmental Resilience Working Group for a three hour discussion and walking tour of Bayside. This group includes staff representatives from across the City organization including Planning, DPW (Engineering, Transportation, Water Resources), Parks, Rec and Facilities (Facilities, Parks), Emergency Management, Public Health, and Economic Development. The meeting helped establish a common level of understanding about the climate vulnerabilities facing Bayside, learn about current and future development opportunities, and to discuss what actions the City should take to prepare for the anticipated impacts of climate change. Areas of focus included proposed housing development, impacts on social service providers, mitigating urban heat island impacts, managing stormwater, and transportation. Project: Landcare We completed our summer webinar series this month by hosting another two Landcare Lunch Break programs. On June 25 Andrew Tufts of Maine Audubon discussed native plant selection and July 8 the program focused on learning about the consequences of fertilizer runoff with Luke Frankel of Natural Resources Council of Maine. We now have built a fantastic library of informative webinars on sustainable landcare, covering everything from soil testing, healthy lawn maintenance, bird-friendly and native yardscaping, and how to prep your lawn for winter. Project: Community Education and Engagement On July 7, we attended the first Pop Up Picnic of the season. Wayside Food Programs is hosting a total of four picnics at City community gardens. Each picnic has fantastic food, local live music, and great organizations (including the City Sustainability Office) to interact with. Join us for the next three (July 21, August 4, and August 18). Participants can get a free Mow Tall Until Fall lawn sign or a free kitchen countertop composting bin. 2 Page 10 City of Portland | Portland International Jetport Paul Bradbury, Airport Director To: Sustainability & Transportation Committee Councilor Regina Phillips, Chair MEETING DATE July 9, 2025 AGENDA ITEM Agenda Item #2B - Portland International Jetport Infrastructure Improvement Project Updates PURPOSE Provide the Sustainable & Transportation Committee with an update on the current status of projects under planning and in construction at the Portland International Jetport. COMMITTEE WORK PLAN/CITY COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT The Jetport has several large projects underway and it was recognized that quarterly briefings to the Sustainability and Transportation Committee are helpful for the City Council and public to stay informed on the progress of projects. BACKGROUND The following Jetport projects are in the final stages of design or under construction. Air Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) 1,500 gallon truck Replacement: The Jetport placed in continuous service a new 2024 ARFF truck on April 21, 2025. The new truck replaces a 25 year old truck, and is one of two ARFF trucks the Jetport has in service to meet its FAA requirements for air rescue response. A Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant covered 90% of the $928,000 cost for the truck. 1 Page 11 The acquisition of this new ARFF vehicle provided an additional benefit by allowing the Jetport to transition from PFAS containing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) to the new Fluorine Free Foam (F3) firefighting product. The Jetport received 2025 project of the year recognition from the trade journal Airport Business for its early proactive transition to F3. Gates 11, 12, & 14 Terminal Improvements, Loading Bridges, and Fixed Bridge Extensions: This $21.6 million project provides: fixed walkways and three new passenger boarding bridges at the west end of the terminal building, new restrooms, an adult changing restroom, and a regulatory required service animal relief area. The project received a temporary certificate of occupancy in June to allow use of the new fixed walkways and passenger boarding bridges. These new bridges eliminated the need for at grade ramp boarding and provide ADA compliant fully enclosed and conditioned boarding bridge connections to aircraft at gates 11, 12, and 14. This is a significant improvement for travelers. The project will be completed later this month in advance of the Jetport’s busiest travel month of August. The Jetport expects to serve nearly 320,000 inbound and outbound travelers in just the month of August this year. This year, through May, the Jetport has served a record 792,000 travelers, which is up 13.6% over the same period in 2024. 2 Page 12 Relocation of the Jetport Administration Offices, Operation Center, and new Airport Emergency Operations Center (AEOC): This project relocates the Jetport administrative offices and the Jetport operations center to existing shell space over baggage claim. The relocation of the administrative offices and operations center, which are adjacent to the gate concourse, allows for the future expansion of passenger amenities within the gate concourse. These amenities include: expanded concessions, additional restrooms, and a passenger lounge. This project also includes the development of an Airport Emergency Operations Center (AEOC). The AEOC space is being designed with data and communications to support operations in the event of an airport emergency and was designed to support the City of Portland’s use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) plan for all emergencies response. The final design for this project will be complete later this month and the construction bid is scheduled to be issued in August. Surface Parking and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project: This project provides for the reconstruction and improvement of the former privately held ParkNJet parking lot site and the construction of new surface parking on Jetport land west of the Embassy Suites hotel. The use of this site for parking and the acquisition of the ParkNJet parcel has been noted in the two prior Jetport master plans in 2005 and in 2018. The project will provide a new self park surface public parking lot of 667 spaces. Since this project includes the 3 Page 13 reconstruction of the existing ParkNJet and cell phone lots, the net increase will be 265 parking spaces. The construction cost estimate for the project is $9.5 million. The project also includes the installation of a 1.9 MW / 5MWhr Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for load shedding and terminal building electrical system back-up. This portion of the project was reviewed and referred by the S&T Committee to the City Council for funding in February. The permitting for the Surface Parking and Battery Storage System project is scheduled for completion this month. The planning board permit includes the issuance of a conservation easement over a wetlands area north of Jetport Boulevard. The design team has finished the mapping of wetlands in this area that is needed to complete this conservation easement. Once the easement is complete this project will come back to the S&T Committee (anticipated in September) for approval to seek a construction funding appropriation from the City Council. Yellowbird Road Sidewalk The Yellowbird Road sidewalk will be completed this month, and will allow pedestrian and bike access around the north end of the Jetport. This is a long awaited project that will provide connection to a future public trail with water access to the Fore River. 4 Page 14 CONCLUSION(S) This agenda item is an informational update that does not require Committee action. PREPARED BY Paul Bradbury Airport Director ATTACHMENTS N/A ​ 5 Page 15 City of Portland | Executive Department Danielle P. West, City Manager To: Sustainability and Transportation Committee Councilor Regina Phillips, Chair From: Masi Ngidi-Brown, Interim JDEI Director Date: June 11, 2025 Re: Name and Renaming Policy Concept Proposal MEETING DATE July 9, 2025 AGENDA ITEM Item #5 - Name and Renaming Policy Concept Proposal PURPOSE To formalize the City of Portland's naming/renaming of City assets process and develop a policy. COMMITTEE WORK PLAN/CITY COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT The City Council’s 2025 goals identify expanding diversity, equity and inclusion practices (Goal 1), and community engagement (Goal 4). A formalized process for naming/renaming City streets, parks, facilities, and other public places would advance these goals by building in appropriate review criteria and including and expanding community engagement elements to the review process. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS The City Code only briefly addresses the Council’s involvement in the naming of City property in Chapter 25 of the Code, and the City lacks a formalized process for conducting this review. In recent months, four (4) requests to name City facilities have been received by staff including a city block, a baseball field, Portland Harbor Common Park, and Kiwanis Pool. In light of these multiple requests, staff recommend the development of a more formal and rigorous process that broadens inclusion, widens community engagement, improves transparency, and effectively aids the City Council in making these decisions. The resulting ordinance, spurred by current and recent projects, will reflect a general approach for the future and the projects it brings. At the July 9 Committee meeting, staff will solicit feedback from this Committee in order to draft a proposed ordinance, which would be considered by the Committee in September. Staff expects that the ordinance will do as follows: 1)​ Establish a clear and consistent framework for the naming and renaming of public spaces, streets, buildings, and other landmarks and assets within the City of Portland, Maine. a)​ Have the framework apply to all proposals for naming and/or renaming within the jurisdiction of the City of Portland, Maine. It covers public spaces, streets, parks, 1 Page 16  buildings, and other city owned property (assets). One exception will be gifts/donations to the City. 2)​ Recognize that the act of naming and renaming is significant and meaningful. A name can invoke emotions, create images, and help look back on history. When chosen, a name can reflect the history and culture of those connected with a particular location or the marks within it. The naming and renaming process should take into consideration the past, present, and future history of the land, its use, and peoples’ relationship to that land and how it is used. It should be thoughtful and have the intention of remaining permanent. Creating meaningful spaces can bring a community together, and the name is the identifier. 3)​ Recognize that Portland's assets are a part of the City, and its people’s heritage. With this in mind, staff recommend that the Critical Heritage Studies1 framework is used to inform how the City of Portland approaches the process of naming/renaming. 1.​ Categories for Naming/Renaming a.​ Guided by the Critical Heritage Studies framework, the proposed ordinance reserves the naming/renaming of City assets, prioritizing a tradition and practice to best serve the interests of the City and assure a worthy and enduring legacy for the City's assets and heritage. To this end, staff suggests the City limits naming/renaming requests of City assets to those that reflect the following three broad categories: i.​ Historic Events, Places, and Persons. The history of a major event or place or historic persons can play an important role in the naming or renaming of parks and recreational facilities. The public often expresses a strong desire to preserve and honor the history of the City, its founders, pioneers, and other historical figures. 1.​ Place: a.​ Place names can contribute to a sense of belonging and identity, and can act as "symbolic monuments" influencing public memory and promoting specific historical narratives. b.​ Naming reflects how people perceive and relate to their environment and can embody historical, geographical, cultural, cognitive, and attitudinal aspects of past lives. ii.​ Cultural Heritage: 1.​ The public often expresses a strong desire to preserve and/or honor the history of the City, looking beyond its founders and pioneers, and seek to include communities that current history has excluded in the naming conversation. 1 This framework presents an approach to naming that acknowledges the social, cultural, and political context of City assets that are to be named. Such an approach, particularly when acknowledging historical inequities, is even more important. Naming informs how people understand heritage. Through naming, a city like Portland, through its leaders, can construct, define, or redefine heritage in the name/renaming of its assets. 2 Page 17  2.​ Excluded communities - and histories and heritage - have included Native Americans, African Americans, to name two, along with many others. 3.​ This process seeks to give City assets names of historic, social and cultural significance that reflects the make-up of the City’s residents and population. iii.​ Major Gifts: 1.​ The City has benefited from and will continue to welcome the generosity of others, including residents, businesses, and foundations. Their gifts are often vital to the advancement of projects that benefit the entire City. To encourage the continuation of private donations, this ordinance would allow for the City to recognize the significant contributions of those donors in the naming of city assets. 2.​ Naming Process a.​ When a new park or facility is planned for/under development, the staff committee may initiate the naming process, following the guidelines and priorities outlined in the proposed ordinance. b.​ Staff committee may solicit petitions proposing a specific name for the new park/facility, following the process/requirements to be detailed in the ordinance and/or administrative rules. c.​ The staff committee shall engage community stakeholders, including relevant commissions, neighborhood organizations, district councilors, and others as part of its process. d.​ The committee will present its review, insights, and recommendation to the Sustainability & Transportation Committee for a public hearing and consideration. e.​ The Sustainability & Transportation Committee will make its recommendation to the City Council. f.​ The City Council will consider the Committee’s recommendation (requires two reads for enactment). 3.​ Renaming Process a.​ Any resident of the City of Portland, or any individual representing a business or organization located in the City of Portland, may submit a renaming petition, the process and requirements of which will be detailed in the ordinance and/or administrative rules. b.​ A committee of City staff will accept and provide an initial review of naming/renaming proposals. c.​ Additional outreach to stakeholders, including neighborhood associations, the district councilor, Parks Commission, Land Bank Commission, and others will be led by the staff committee. d.​ The committee will present its review, insights, and recommendation to the Sustainability & Transportation Committee for a public hearing and consideration. 3 Page 18  e.​ The Sustainability & Transportation Committee will make its recommendation to the City Council. f.​ The City Council will consider the Committee’s recommendation (requires two reads for enactment). 4.​ Naming/Renaming Exclusions and Exceptions: a.​ Naming associations with tobacco, alcohol, religious organizations, political candidates or adjudicated felons are prohibited. b.​ Naming a City asset after an individual or family, currently alive or deceased, is not permitted due to potential for future controversy as societal values and perspectives evolve over time. One recommended exception includes international or nationally recognized historical figures, recognizing that this should be rare and only upon a substantial demonstration of the figure's connection to, or unique importance in, the Portland community or the State of Maine. c.​ The dedication of small park/public amenities - such as fixed park benches and tables - is currently determined through an administrative process intended to encourage private donations, and will not contradict the priorities as established in this ordinance. d.​ On some occasions, a gift will be made to the City that is of such magnitude and generosity that naming, in honor of or at the request of the benefactor, may be considered. Any request to rename existing property on this basis that is associated with a major gift to expand or refurbish a City asset should be discouraged, unless the term of the current named asset has expired. As part of the draft ordinance, staff will provide additional recommendations on how naming rights should be considered as it relates to major gifts. FISCAL IMPACT At this time there is no anticipated fiscal impact associated with this concept. CONCLUSION(S) N/A PRIOR COMMITTEE REVIEW This meeting follows a prior review of this topic brought to the committee on October 9, 2024. PREPARED BY Masi Ngidi-Brown, Interim Director​ Ethan Hipple, Director JDEI Parks, Recreation & Facilities​ ​ Dena Libner Assistant City Manager ATTACHMENTS N/A 4 Page 19 City of Portland | Sustainability Office Troy Moon, Director To: Sustainability and Transportation Committee Regina Phillips, Chair MEETING DATE July 9, 2025 AGENDA ITEM Agenda Item #3C PURPOSE To discuss increasing the fare licensed taxi operators may charge passengers. COMMITTEE WORK PLAN/CITY COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT N/A BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS The regulation of taxi rates in the City of Portland is governed by Chapter 30 Vehicles for Hire of the Portland City Code, specifically, Article II Taxicabs, §§ 30-16--30-38.5. Sec. 30-21 deals with the issues of taxi rates most directly and is excerpted below. The rates established in ordinance were last updated over a decade ago. Sec. 30-21. Taxicab fares for service. The maximum fares for taxicabs shall be as follows: (a) Within the metered zone. Except as otherwise provided herein, the maximum fare for taxicab service solely which begins or ends in the city and is within the metered zone shall be one dollar and ninety cents ($1.90) for the first one-tenth of a mile (the “drop” rate) or a fraction thereof and thirty cents ($0.30) for each one-tenth of a mile or fraction thereof, thereafter. The fare shall be computed and displayed by the taximeter. No fare charged shall be in excess of the amount displayed by the taximeter. There shall be one (1) fare, divided equally, in the case of two (2) or more passengers who engage the taxicab for a trip between the same 1 Page 20  two (2) points. In all other cases, each passenger shall pay a separate fare, based upon the total taximeter rate to their individual destinations. (b) Outside the metered zone. If a trip begins or ends within the city and the other point of destination is outside the metered zone, the passenger and driver shall agree upon the fare before the trip commences; otherwise the passenger shall be under no obligation to pay any fare. (c) Minimum jetport fare. The minimum fare for pickup at the Portland International Jetport is five dollars ($5.00) even if the taximeter fare is less. The taximeter shall be used for all such pickups. (d) Waiting time. A charge for waiting time may be made only for time waited at the express direction of the passenger after the trip has begun and for time waited before the trip has begun, commencing five (5) minutes after the time at which the passenger 30-9 City of Portland Code of Ordinances Sec. 30-21 Vehicles for Hire Chapter 30 Rev. 9-16-10 has requested the taxicab to call, or five (5) minutes after the taxicab actually calls, whichever is later. The charge for such waiting time shall be forty cents ($0.40) per minute. (e) Sight-seeing. Taxicabs may be employed for purposes of sight-seeing only according to a published route and rate which shall be provided to the passenger prior to commencement of the trip. (f) Bags and parcels. No charge shall be made for the transportation of the bags or parcels of a passenger. (Code 1968, § 902.8; Ord. No. 231-80, 12-22-80; Ord. No. 576-81, §§ 1, 2, 4-6-81; Ord. No. 471-84, 3-7-84; Ord. No. 332-88, 4-20-88; Ord. No. 63-89, 7-17-89; Ord. No. 303-92, 4-6-92; Ord. No. 249-97, 4-23-97; Ord. No. 56-04/05, 98-04; Ord. No. 57-04/05, 10-4-04; Ord. NO. 286-07/08, 6-16-08; Ord. No. 18808/09, 4-6-09) The Committee requested that staff research the established fares in other New England cities in order to provide context for their deliberation about a potential fare increase in Portland. We identified Boston, Manchester, and Burlington as comparable communities. See their fares summarized in the table below. 2 Page 21  City Drop Charge Each Mile Idling and Additional Other Thereafter Waiting Customers Boston, MA First $0.40 each $28.00/hour Tolls are 1/7-mile: 1/7 mile additional $2.60 Manchester, First $0.50 each $0.25/minut $0.25 Flat rates NH ⅙-mile: $4 ⅙ mile e established for fare originating at the airport to area towns Burlington, $4.00 $3.50/mile, $1.00 Minimum VT calculated fare $11; each 1/10 airport mile surcharge $4.00 from airport queue; nighttime extra $4.00 (10PM-5AM) Portland, $1.90 $0.30 for $0.40/minut Minimum ME each e charge of $5 additional or fare, 1/10-mile whichever is greater. The fares currently authorized by Chapter 30 are generally less than those allowed by the comparable cities. Operational costs for vehicles, fuel, maintenance, and administration have increased significantly since fares were last adjusted in Portland more than 10 years ago. Taxi operators provide a vital transportation service for residents and to visitors of the City and would benefit from a fare structure that more closely aligns with the current economic environment. In order to align with our current pricing structure, staff recommends that the Committee discussion potential increases in the following areas: ●​ Drop Charge/Initial Fee from $1.90 to ​ _$___ 3 Page 22  ●​ Each additional 1/10 from $0.30 to ​ _$__ ●​ Wait time from $0.40/minute to ​ ​ _$__ ●​ Minimum charge from $5 to ​ ​ _$__ We look forward to the discussion and to answering any questions you may have. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact on City operations. CONCLUSION(S) PRIOR COMMITTEE REVIEW May, 2025 PREPARED BY Troy Moon, Sustainability Director ATTACHMENTS N/A 4 Page 23