Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • November 10, 2010 Ridgewood Village urges taxi company to comply with ordinance by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council told Kathy Rutler of Ridgewood Taxi and her attorney, David Rutherford, that the council expected prompt action to rectify the fact that the 100-year-old taxi company is no longer in compliance with an ordinance requiring $1 million in insurance coverage on passengers from Ridgewood and neighboring Glen Rock. “We’re not trying to put Ridgewood Taxi out of business,” Deputy Mayor Thomas Riche said at last week’s council work session. “We don’t even know if you’re insured right now.” Ridgewood Taxi has asked for a hearing before the council because the legal status of the company had officially lapsed on Oct. 31 due to insurance considerations. At the hearing on Nov. 3, it turned out that the required $1 million coverage had been allowed to lapse two years ago and had been replaced with a $100,000 coverage policy -- about three times more than New Jersey statutes require, but one-tenth of what Ridgewood ordinances demand. Rutler, who is co-owner of the company with her husband David Rutler, said most towns around Ridgewood require a $35,000 policy, and Ridgewood Taxi is now covered for $100,000. However, she had not brought a valid insurance certificate to the council hearing and this, along with the two-year lapse in the stipulated coverage, prompted concern from council members. “I consider it a dire situation when the Village of Ridgewood does not have an insurance certificate,” Riche said. “So in the last two years or three years, Ridgewood Taxi has, in a sense, been in violation of the ordinance,” said Councilman Paul Aronsohn. “I’m really troubled about the idea that you’ve been in violation for two or three years. It’s almost like, if you don’t like a law, you just ignore it.” “It was an issue that the village was aware of, but that it was not resolved was our fault,” said Rutherford. “The village was actually aware that we were not maintaining the million-dollar coverage.” Ridgewood Village Attorney Matt Rogers, questioned by the council, said that had Ridgewood Taxi ever been sued beyond the stipulated coverage, the village would not have been in any way liable to make up the discrepancy. Rutherford and Rutler said legal actions against the taxi company had been few and minor, and that Ridgewood Taxi screens its drivers for safe driving records and for courtesy. She said that there had been no rate increase in five years, but this was slightly amended: The council granted a mileage increase due to the drastic gasoline price increase of two years ago, but the increase was rescinded when gas prices dropped. Rutherford and Rutler explained that Rutler’s husband, who has owned Ridgewood Taxi for 40 years, had actually helped draft the ordinance that provided a million-dollar coverage policy for vehicles operating within Ridgewood many years ago. But she and Rutherford said this insurance was intended to cover limousines, which often take long highway trips with large numbers of passengers, making million-dollar coverage appropriate. Rutler said that out of the average of 480 calls to Ridgewood Taxi each typical day, 15 to 20 are for rides to the airport or to New York City, and that Ridgewood Taxi cabs generally carry only one passenger at a time. Insurance companies, Rutler said, have virtually discontinued million-dollar policies for taxicabs. “Coverage in that amount is not readily available commercially and is not affordable,” she said. She pointed out that Ridgewood Taxi performs a vital service in helping senior citizens to shop and to keep medical appointments, helps take people home safely when they have been drinking, and brings outside visitors from the railroad and bus stations to family homes when they come to Ridgewood and don’t know their way around the area. “People love us. We’re very well loved by our customers,” she said. “We’re perfectly willing to sit down at a table and negotiate with this.” Mayor Keith Killion was also willing to negotiate, but questioned why the company had not approached the council sooner. “I find it curious that this has been going on for two years and now we’re in the eleventh hour and we are just hearing about it,” Mayor Killion said. “I want this matter resolved as soon as possible. I don’t want a stall tactic for six months down the road. I want it taken care of right away.” Killion and Riche requested evidence that Ridgewood Taxi has some sort of effective insurance coverage delivered to Ridgewood Village Hall the day after the meeting. The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra will offer a free concert for school-aged children and their parents on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The 35-minute program will consist of excerpts from the opening concert of the RSO’s 71st season. After the concert, children and parents Free Youth Concert offered will be invited to speak with the musicians and to view the instruments. Although the performance is free, voluntary contributions are appreciated. For more information about programs, subscriptions, and advance ticket sales, call (201) 612-0118, or visit the RSO website at www.ridgewoodsymphony.org.