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Syracuse’s Common Council passed two measures Monday that will forgo about $100,000 of city revenue over two years to help local businesses. 

The city will waive license fees for local theaters in 2021 and waive or refund all Certificate of Use fees for restaurants and bars between March 2020 and March 2022. Businesses still must meet health requirements to renew their licenses.

The city expects to refund about $62,000 for fees already paid and will waive an estimated $40,000 in fees over the next year, said Jenn Tifft, Syracuse deputy commissioner of neighborhood and business development.

“By waiving the fee, we’re showing that (the city is) a partner to bars and restaurants, which will continue to be very restricted in the revenue that they can bring in during this period,” Tifft said. “This is one way we can help.”

The city will also waive entertainment license fees for theaters and other venues. The state ordered entertainment venues to close for most of 2020, Tifft said.

The council is passing this resolution now, due to the arrival of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. Federal funds have enabled the city to help businesses now that the city is up against less dire financial circumstances, Tifft said.

“It would have been very difficult for us, because of the revenue hit we have taken, to really entertain the loss of $100,000 over two years. That’s a pretty big financial loss,” Tifft said. “Obviously, now it’s a lot easier for us to bear that because of the relief we’re getting through the American Rescue Plan.”

Other business

The council passed a resolution encouraging the U.S. Senate to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. The House of Representatives in March passed the act, which provides extended protections for employees attempting to unionize. It has received strong support from labor unions and other workers’ rights organizations.

Mark Spadafore, president of the Syracuse Labor Council, provided a statement to councilors in support of the measure and the PRO Act.

The resolution will be provided to the offices of New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

The Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation has awarded a $35,000 grant to the city to improve Westmoreland Park. Funds will be used to resurface the park’s basketball courts, build new fencing and provide other upgrades to the park’s basketball facilities.

The city will also issue up to $4 million in bonds to fund the 2021-2022 Department of Public Works Road Reconstruction Project. The project will resurface and rebuild about 40 roads throughout the city, according to the department.

Published on April 26, 2021 at 10:32 pm

Contact Nick: nickrobertson@dailyorange.com | @NickRobertsonSU