Austin City Council enacts penalties for TNC rules

Austin City Council has decided to enact penalties for ride sharing companies that do not comply with the city's finger-print background checks.

About two months ago, people in Austin voted to approve a proposal by the city to enforce finger-print background checks for ride sharing companies.

Since then Uber and Lyft left the city and numerous other ride sharing companies have moved in.

Until now the city had no plan in place to penalize companies that were not in compliance. 

Thursday Council passed an agenda item that will enact a 1 percent penalty fee for companies that do not meet the requirements.

It also restricts those companies not in compliance from being able to pick up customers at events like ACL.

The next benchmark is on August 1. Transportation network companies have to be 50% in compliance by then, 99% compliance by February of next year.

Those companies not in compliance for the three consecutive months following the February deadline will have their operating authority revoked.

Council approved a 12 million dollar contract with Taser to provide body cameras to Austin police officers.

They are still expected to discuss whether to move forward with the mayor's proposed $720 million mobility bond or a smaller $500 million plan put together by Council member Ann Kitchen.

One or both of those options could be on the November ballot.