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Finance director says business‑license discovery netted about $800K; code cleanup to be presented March 3
Summary
Manhattan Beach Finance Director Libby Breau told the council the city's business‑license compliance and discovery program has produced roughly $800,000 in additional revenue (including prior‑year collections and penalties). She said March 3 will include an administrative municipal‑code cleanup related to the business‑license tax and a business‑license modernization item is scheduled that same meeting.
Finance Director Libby Breau reported to the City Council on Feb. 24 that the city's business‑license compliance and discovery program yielded more than $800,000 in new business‑license tax revenue, a figure that includes prior‑year liabilities and penalties. She said the original FY25 budget estimate for the program was approximately $500–$550K and that staff adjusted midyear as collections exceeded expectations.
Breau said the program's windfall was partially composed of past‑due taxes and penalties and that staff expects revenues from discovery to level off after this initial enforcement year. She noted the department will present a business‑license modernization plan at the March 3 meeting, along with administrative municipal‑code cleanup items crafted with outside legal counsel and a proposed online hotel and short‑term‑rental payment platform.
The finance presentation also recapped other accomplishments: assistance with acquiring 400 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, issuance of roughly $16 million in certificates of participation related to radio equipment and other city financing, and completion of a development‑impact fee study with new fees effective April 18.
Councilors asked staff to explain whether the $800,000 figure was current fiscal‑year revenue or included prior‑year adjustments; Breau clarified the figure includes prior‑year collections and penalties and that the adopted budget had included a lower estimate later adjusted at midyear. She said specific code language inconsistencies (some items currently described as 'fees' in text but functionally business‑license taxes) will be addressed in the March 3 code cleanup report.
