Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Business Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Small-business owners urge Beaverton council to reconsider steep outdoor-dining fee increases
Summary
Owners of Syndicate Wine Bar and Raindrop Tap House said an April 1 city resolution sharply raised outdoor-dining permit renewal and new-permit fees and that they received little advance notice; they asked council to reconsider the fees.
Several small-business owners told the Beaverton City Council at the April 15 visitor-comment period that a recent city resolution raised outdoor-dining permit fees dramatically and that affected businesses received little or no notice.
Angela Anderson, co-owner of Syndicate Wine Bar, said Agenda Bill 25,050 — which the council approved April 1 — increased renewal fees for outdoor-dining permits by 756 percent and raised new-permit fees by roughly 2,000 percent, according to figures she cited from page 15 and 51 of the ordinance packet. “These increases … are absolutely ridiculous,” Anderson said, adding that businesses saw only an email sent the prior Friday and were not otherwise notified.
Mark Fosroy, co-owner of Raindrop Tap House, told the council he received an email with a “dead link” and that the short notice and broken link prevented merchants from getting information or asking questions. “What was the justification for the 756 percent increase? And what are the fees going to be used for?” Fosroy asked.
Raindrop co-owner Elaine Foster said the fee changes are “crippling” for a small business still recovering from past setbacks and accused councilors of being out of touch with small-business needs.
Why it matters: City staff and councilors may be asked to review the April 1 fee resolution or clarify how fees were communicated to affected businesses. The business owners asked for reconsideration or more gradual increases to preserve outdoor-dining operations that many said are used seasonally.
City response and next steps: At the meeting no council votes were taken on the fee structure. The council did not announce any immediate plans to revisit the resolution during the meeting; owners said they had exchanged follow-up emails with city staff to seek clarification.
What the speakers requested: A review of the fee increases, clearer advance notice on regulatory changes that affect business budgets, and explanation of how fee revenues will be used.
