Chicago has about the best license terms I've seen for a transit agency. They allow you to use their logo, and give you the option but do not oblige you to credit them for the data. They still require indemnification from their developers, which is pretty standard.

by Michael Perkins on Dec 14, 2009 9:30 am  

I'm not sure whether I should have the usual outrage for the taxi "scandal" or be confused by the NBC4 explanation. The article makes it sound like some of the violations are for taxi regulations, as opposed to traffic violations. So, for example, it might be that they don't have some window sticker and by putting one on they get the fine waived. Dunno?

by ah on Dec 14, 2009 9:37 am  

Upset with luring taxable corporate and personal income to the District?

DC is the only local jurisdiction who still has its head stuck in the sand in terms of fostering economic development. DC is stuck with this mindset, that new real estate development will simply by default attract "development". Raze a couple blocks downtown and "someone" will do "something" with it.

Fairfax and Montgomery County think more that 1 budget year into the future. They actually have staffed offices in foreign cities around the world whose entire job it is to coax companies to open operations in ffx or DC. They ply them with property and income tax breaks so that they expand their operations here, benefiting Ffx rather than say, Chicago.

DC already has not only the highest corporate tax rate, but the highest personal income tax rate in the DC Metro, and we wonder why we can't attract business.

This is PRECISELY what we should be doing. Sure, we lose out on some property tax, but CoStar employees are well paid. Analysts right out of undergrad start at $65-70K a year. For every current or future employee that takes of residence, DC collects 8.5% of their income. Say only 50 current or future employees move to the District and that their average income is $100K/yr. Thats $425K a year DC collects in income tax, not to mention all their additional expenditures on food, goods, services.
As I said, this is EXACTLY what DC should be doing to attract "economic development".

by nookie on Dec 14, 2009 10:01 am  

Corrupt DC? who would imagine? I know a couple of former parking examiners driving Mercedes s classes around now.

Can someone explain nobody pushed for free wifi service in the stations when the cell phone contract was re-negoiated?

by charlie on Dec 14, 2009 10:06 am  

Notice that in the Examiner story, not only is the blog called "Greater Washington," but the reporter put a "CQ" after it and the copyeditor didn't remove it. (In case anyone doesn't know, "CQ" is a way for a reporter to tell copyeditors that a strange word is in fact correct.)

by Tim on Dec 14, 2009 10:07 am  

That NBC story is poorly written/edited. Who is it that's dismissing the taxi violation tickets? Based on the story, we have no idea whether it's the DMV adjudication people, the DCTC adjudication people, or the Office of Administrative Hearings people. Sorta would be a nice detail to have in the story.

by Fritz on Dec 14, 2009 10:10 am  

nookie: agree with tax rates/encouraging business. But I think one of the reasons (if not the main reason) why DC can't plan their budget more than a year in advance has to do with Congress. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but DC's city budget requires Congressional approval.

by Froggie on Dec 14, 2009 10:21 am  

Attracting a business that might otherwise locate to Chicago or even Dulles seems to potentially be worth tax credits to me. Luring a business that is presently inside the beltway into the district with incentives is not a no-brainer to me. Almost any employee of a Bethesda based company that would want to live in DC is likely to already do so.

by Paul S on Dec 14, 2009 10:41 am  

Speaking of taxis, what is it about the DC metro area that makes our cab drivers slow, inattentive, and completely ignorant of the situation around them? They are effectively rolling roadblocks, and I havenÂ’t observed such a consistent pattern of behavior in other metro areas.

by Don Incognito on Dec 14, 2009 11:27 am  

I have a hard time seeing the logic behind the petition. I'd much rather see them direct their energy at receiving a similar tax benefit for themselves. How does fighting a company that would hire locals and relocate people here help your own businessses? Aren't all these people going to go out to dinner and, like, buy shower curtains and etc.? DC's tax rates are ridiculously high considering the size and interdependence of this region. These people should be petitioning city council for their own breaks.

by JTS on Dec 14, 2009 12:39 pm  

Froggie,

Congress has to approve the budget but that doesn't stop DC from long term planning, or funding a real Economic Development office. DC does, and has been putting far more questionable things in its budget for decades without Congress raising a finger.

Paul,

I would agree that "today", it isn't going to result in a bunch of people who live in suburban MD to move into DC, but that can't be said for all future hires? Also, their worldwide headquarters is in Bethesda, and thats what DC is targeting. Moving their headquarters here also opens them up to pay corporate taxes in the District. CoStar is the largest business in the world of its kind with a billion dollar market cap and revenue of ~200 million per year. The money collected from taxes alone would more than pay for the tax incentives in a year or two.

DC has missed out on what could have been some corporate coups the last couple of years.

VW/Audi moving its US Headquarters to Reston, Hilton moving its global headquarters to Tysons. Both companies were heavily recruited by Ffx, who spent tens of millions getting each to locate there. But the payoff is well worth it. There is no reason DC shouldn't be in the running for "gets" like that.

by nookie on Dec 14, 2009 12:41 pm  

"Speaking of taxis, what is it about the DC metro area that makes our cab drivers slow, inattentive, and completely ignorant of the situation around them? They are effectively rolling roadblocks, and I havenÂ’t observed such a consistent pattern of behavior in other metro areas."

Taxis are much more poorly regulated here than in other cities. It's not all corruption either; it's way too easy to get (and keep) a taxi license here even without making "contributions" to city officials.

by Phil on Dec 14, 2009 1:48 pm  

@Don Incognito

The fact that the DC government views the taxi service primarily as a jobs program. Unlike most other cities which strictly limit the number of cabs in service and enforce real taxi driver and vehicle licensing standards, DC lets almost anybody to set him/herself up as a cabbie regardless of the age/condition of their vehicle or their ability to safely operate it.

by Jacob on Dec 14, 2009 3:15 pm  

"Speaking of taxis, what is it about the DC metro area that makes our cab drivers slow, inattentive, and completely ignorant of the situation around them?"

One word: Khat

Many of the cabbies around 9th & U and the lower Adams Morgan area [18th and Wyoming] aren't just sitting around talking shop.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/30/AR2008053003529.html

by ontarioroader on Dec 14, 2009 3:20 pm  

While the District can certainly do a better job of policing taxi operations and standards, you probably don't want the type of supply limitations you see in places like New York City. In NYC there are fewer cabs per capita now then there were in the 1960s and unless you are in Manhattan, they can be hard to come by. The medallion system has concentrated the supply of cabs into fewer and fewer hands and each time the city council talks of increasing the number of medallions available, the holder of the current medallions donate $ millions to the campaigns of those favor keeping the current number in place. On the open market, a NYC medallion can go for upwards of $500,000. Tell me that doesn't mean an artificial supply restriction

by ksu499 on Dec 14, 2009 10:00 pm  

Why does the NBC Washington story have a photo of what seem to be NYC Taxis?

They couldn't walk outside and take a picture of a DC Cab?

by F. Catoe on Dec 14, 2009 11:01 pm