The Homewood City Council unanimously voted Monday to allow ridesharing companies to operate in the city.

The ordinance regulating transportation network companies was on the committee referral agenda for Monday's meeting. Instead of sending the item to a committee, the council chose to discuss the issue and vote then.

Councilman Britt Thames said community members have asked city officials when ridesharing would be viable in Homewood.

"I think there's a lot of excitement, and there's clearly a need for some sort of transportation alternative in the Birmingham metro area," Thames said before Monday's meeting. "Here in Homewood specifically we have a great problem [with] parking. Everyone wants to come downtown to eat and to shop, but our parking options are limited. Hopefully this will help that."

In November, the Mountain Brook City Council passed a ridesharing ordinance after community members expressed an interest in the service. Homewood officials modeled the proposed ordinance after that measure and have closely followed ongoing discussions in Birmingham, Thames said.

Both the Mountain Brook and Homewood ordinances amend existing codes to regulate transportation network companies. They outline insurance and background check requirements and include a flat fee of $500 - the same amount required for taxis, shuttle services and other transportation companies.

Though Thames would love to see ridesharing companies up and running in Homewood, he said that probably won't happen unless they can operate in Birmingham as well.

The Birmingham City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed TNC ordinance this morning after several weeks of delays. Discussions about opening the door for ridesharing in Birmingham began in the summer of 2014, then stalled and were rekindled this year.