City Commission Denys Taxi License

On March 10 Hans Kemnitz applied for a taxi license under the business 4wd Taxi.  In a close 2-3 vote, the commissioners rejected the application in favor of keeping Basin Cab the exclusive taxi company in Williston.

 Hans did approximately 9 weeks of research and preparation in order to present the most accurate and complete information possible for the commissioners.  In the first meeting with the council, the application was turned over to the Franchise Committee to analyze and prepare a recommendation for the commission.

 Hans met with the Franchise Committee twice.  The first time he presented a business plan, financial projections for the next 3 years, a proposed rate summary, plans for growth, and summaries of two surveys.  The two surveys were conducted by Hans.  One targeted bar tenders and bar owners.  The other questioned community members who have used Basin Cab.  In both cases, 100% of those surveyed felt that another taxi service is needed in Williston, and 100% recommended that the council approve Hans' application for license.

 Hans called and interviewed all the taxi companies in North Dakota to find facts regarding the number of cabs on the road during peak and non-peak hours, rates, and average wait times.  He found that Williston has the least cabs per capita, highest rates ($2.75/mile vs. $2.30/mile at the next highest company), and longest average wait times from call to pickup (3-4 times longer).

Hans also visited with Keith Olsen at the North Dakota Business Development Center to create an Executive Summary of his proposed business, and review the financial information he gathered to ensure accuracy and create spreadsheets in a format favored by the commission.

Hans also drove from several of the restaurants, bars, stores, and airport in Williston to several apartment buildings, residential neighborhoods, and rural areas, logging the mileage and time.  He was then able to insure all his calculations for his financial reports was accurate based on real trips taken.

Hans presented all this information to the Franchise Committee at their second meeting.

 On March 10 the commission asked the Franchise Committee for their recommendation regarding Hans' application for a taxi license.  The Franchise Committee stated that they had no recommendation for or against issuing a license.  Hans spoke before the commission, presenting information about the research he had done, the financial information he gathered, and presented his case well.  He also reminded the commission that they approved the building of two new hotels in Williston, one of which is designed to host large conferences and meetings, and would be attracting hundreds of visitors to the Williston area each year.  Hans also pointed out that many of these visitors will be in need of public transportation during their stay, and the current public transportation system does not provide adequate service for the residents, let alone visitors.

Koeser and commissioners Howard Klug and James Lawson voted against the Kemnitz application. Bekkedahl and Commissioner Brent Bogar voted to allow Kemnitz the taxi license.

Taken from the Williston Herald Article on March 11:

"In giving a committee report, Bekkedahl said its concern was to not negatively impact the service already provided to the city."

The complete article, and community comments, can be seen here.

Hans has decided to add a section to his personal web site pertaining to this, and to keep fighting for his right to start a business in Williston.  You can go to his site here.

Hans has an online petition, more detailed history, a comments page, much of the information he presented to the commissioners, as well as a link to the Official Proceedings from the March 10th meeting, all of which can be accessed from his site.  He welcomes anyone, expecially commissioners, to email him with comments and questions regarding this matter.

Once he has gathered enough signatures, Hans plans to present his petition to the City Commission with another application for a taxi license, and asks the community to join him in the council meeting.  The date will be posted at least 30 days in advance on his website.  Look for a follow-up to be posted here as well.