Island Bicycle Rental was given permission by Mackinac Island City Council to transfer 200 rental bicycle licenses at a special meeting Wednesday morning, December 31. Tom Pfeiffelmann and Gwen Baker, owners of Island Bicycle Rental, transferred 100 licenses to Union Terminal Piers (UTP), owners of Street Side and Lake Side Bike Rental, and 100 to Ira Green, owner of Island Bike Shop. The company still has 100 licenses, but Mr. Pfeiffelmann said, after the brief meeting, that it has not yet decided what to do with them.

Island Bicycle Rental was operating on the waterfront lot across from McNally Cottage, which Mr. Green purchased this fall.

In December, the city council allowed transfer of rental bicycle licenses, with city approval, but with the stipulation that no one entity can control more than 24% of the total number of rental licenses issued by the city.

This year, 13 businesses were issued 1,330 bicycle licenses, meaning that no entity can control more than 319.

Ryba Bike Rental, which has 395 licenses, was exempted from the cap.

Although transfer of licenses among businesses is allowed, Council still has the power to revoke any transfer if it feels the addition of such bicycles burdens traffic flow or safety in that specific area. The city will review both UTP and Mr. Green's plans for their 100 additional bicycles at the annual bicycle license redetermination meeting April 13, said Island Mayor Margaret Doud.

The only other item on the special meeting's agenda was to approve the city's payroll for the month, which Council did with no questions.

The special meeting was held because the regular council meeting, scheduled for Monday, December 29 owing to the New Year's Eve holiday, was canceled owing to lack of a quorum.

Regular council meetings are usually held every other Wednesday.