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| Business fee in council crosshairs |
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| Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Friday, 18 April 2008 | |
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The $25 business license fee the city charges vendors for special events could be changed in May after the City Council discussed the possibility at its Tuesday meeting. Council members wondered if it is fair to charge Patterson business owners for a one-day business license when they already have paid for a regular business license. City staff said the fees are necessary to cover the costs of inspecting the vendor booths. The council decided it needs more time and information before it can make a decision. The council plans to again take up the matter at its May 6 meeting. Councilwoman Annette Smith got the ball rolling on the fee review when she requested the matter be addressed at Tuesday’s meeting. Smith was the most adamant in opposing the fee. “I have a problem with us requiring a business license (for local retailers), then asking them to get another,” Smith said. She said by phone Thursday that she suspects the fees are not just being used to cover inspection costs and are being used to subsidize other services the city provides to special events. City Manager Cleve Morris told the council the fees allow a representative from the Patterson Fire Department and the city building department to make sure the vendor booths are up to code. “We have to do the inspection, so we charge for that inspection,” Morris said. “It’s not to make money.” The solution could be as easy as a name change, Morris said. He suggested calling it an inspection fee instead of a business license fee. Smith agreed Thursday that an inspection fee is a more appropriate name — as long as the city actually conducts those inspections. The fee impacts the annual Patterson Apricot Fiesta more than any other event. Marilyn Hoobler, secretary for the fiesta, attended Tuesday’s meeting and said some local vendors had expressed frustration over the fee. However, her main concern was not whether the city had the fee, but whether the council would impose another layer of bureaucracy in an already time-consuming process. Fiesta workers spend hundreds of hours sorting through vendor-related paperwork, Hoobler said, which includes the one-day business license form and worker compensation forms required by the city. In other council matters… The council reviewed the crime statistics for 2007. According to a report from Patterson Police Services, Patterson has seen a drop in its crime rate. Most property crimes have decreased, while violent crimes have slightly increased. Most notably, there were 158 reported robberies in 2007, down 59 from 217 recorded in 2006. The crime rate dropped from 3.7 percent in 2006 to 3.1 percent in 2007. Thefts and vehicle thefts also decreased slightly. Thefts dropped from 356 to 350, while auto thefts dropped from 107 to 102. Arson dropped from 10 to six reported incidents. The only property crime to increase was robbery, jumping from eight to 12 incidents. Reports of forcible rape increased from four to five, and assaults rose from 20 to 28. There were no murders in Patterson in 2006 or 2007. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Comments
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COSTCO. I know that some of my vendors already have business license so why would they need to pay for something they already have and as far as changing the name for inspections I wouls like to say that all my vendors provided there own booths (tables, chairs and pop ups) so really what were they paying for if in reality these fees where for inspection no one inspected anything basically the city was paid for something I am still unclear about. Believe me there are several business and people that will be at upcoming meetings to discuss this topic with the city.