MEXICO – Planners attending Thursday’s board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the town office conference room will start work on a proposed taxi regionalization ordinance.

It was introduced at the Dec. 13 selectmen’s meeting by River Valley Taxi owner Kevin Wentzell-Donovan of Mexico.

Wentzell-Donovan said he drafted the proposal to protect taxi companies, the public and towns. There are only a handful of taxi companies operating in the River Valley.

The proposal, among other things, seeks to combine taxi licenses for Rumford and Mexico into one license, governed by a set of bylaws.

A Taxi Committee would be established consisting of one owner from each company operating in the River Valley area, three public members, a selectman from each of the two towns, and one police officer from either town. It would meet every other month to specifically deal with taxi business concerns.

It also seeks to regulate fines and fees, and requires cab drivers to get a taxi driver’s license for $10 per driver. Currently registered drivers would be grandfathered.

The document also states that any application for a taxi-driver’s license would be screened by police to ensure that someone with a questionable past is excluded from getting a license.

Exclusions, the proposal notes, might include someone with two or more operating under the influence convictions, or someone convicted of sexual assault, theft or assault.

Selectman George Byam argued Dec. 13 that it would be cost-prohibitive for towns to pay for police background checks on prospective taxi cab drivers.

Byam said, “You’re asking this town to guarantee this driver is safe and has a license to operate. I don’t know if the town is willing to take on this guarantee. If he isn’t safe, then it comes back on the town.”

Police Chief Jim Theriault said that neither the towns nor Wentzell-Donovan, or a taxi commission, could do background checks, but they could review court records, which are public documents.

Wentzell-Donovan said he presented the document to Rumford selectmen, who tabled it to allow the town attorney and police chief to review it. Mexico did the same, only they’re running it by their attorney and Maine Municipal Association attorneys.