2006/10/18
Because we don't want small businesses here
Buried at the bottom of a story on Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll's proposal to modify the Certificate of Use requirements in the city is a doubling of the fee for a certificate.
A Certificate of Use is a permit, obtained every two years, that allows a business to operate in the city. Much like a driver's license, there's a point system, and as a business accrues points, eventually it's denied a permit.
Things that will help accumulate points include selling alcohol and tobacco to minors, operating outside of legal hours, and prostitution.
The fee for a Certificate of Use is $100; Driscoll proposes changing that to $200. An extra $100 every two years is not likely to break an established business, but it may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for those considering opening a new small business in the city, particularly if they can get similar permits elsewhere in similar-traffic areas for what would have been a comparable rate to the $100.
What burns me most about this is that Driscoll was a business owner before he was elected to the mayoral post. How can he not recognize that high startup fees are a barrier to small businesses opening here?
A Certificate of Use is a permit, obtained every two years, that allows a business to operate in the city. Much like a driver's license, there's a point system, and as a business accrues points, eventually it's denied a permit.
Things that will help accumulate points include selling alcohol and tobacco to minors, operating outside of legal hours, and prostitution.
The fee for a Certificate of Use is $100; Driscoll proposes changing that to $200. An extra $100 every two years is not likely to break an established business, but it may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for those considering opening a new small business in the city, particularly if they can get similar permits elsewhere in similar-traffic areas for what would have been a comparable rate to the $100.
What burns me most about this is that Driscoll was a business owner before he was elected to the mayoral post. How can he not recognize that high startup fees are a barrier to small businesses opening here?
