Council Member Thomas-Henry on outdoor dining fee installment bill
Council Member Thomas-Henry speaks about her first bill to pass, Intro 918, which allows outdoor dining operators to pay revocable consent fees in quarterly installments instead of upfront, easing the financial burden on small business owners.
Thank you, Majority Leader.
Our communities are changing, and as New York continues to grow, we have to be intentional about making sure the people and businesses that gave our neighborhoods their identity can afford to be part of what comes next.
Because when you think about small businesses in New York, you think about the restaurant owner who takes a family recipe and turns it into a neighborhood favorite.
The immigrant entrepreneur who opens a storefront and creates a piece of home a thousand miles away.
Or the New Yorker who saves every dollar they can, takes a chance on themselves, signs a lease, turns on the lights, and says, I'm going to make this work.
That is the culture of entrepreneurship in New York.
Before I ever sat in this chamber, I was a small business owner.
So I know there is nothing small about running a business in New York City.
It takes courage.
to bet on yourself.
It takes grit to open those doors every morning, make payroll, pay the rent, navigate regulations, serve your customers, and take care of your family, and somehow wake up the next morning ready to do it all again.
So when government has an opportunity to make that journey a little easier, we should.
Today I am incredibly proud that the council will vote on Intro 918, my first bill to pass this body.
The bill is simple.
Instead of requiring restaurants participating in outdoor dining to pay revocable consent fees all at once, they will have the flexibility to pay quarterly.
Because the difference between one enormous bill and manageable payments throughout the year matters.
And this is bigger than outdoor dining.
It is about asking ourselves, who gets to stay, who gets to build, and who gets to be a part of the future of New York City?
Affordability isn't only about what it costs to live here.
It is about what it costs to build a life, build a business, and chase a dream here.
Our entrepreneurs make New York the New York we love.
The least we can do is meet them where they are and make it a little easier for them to build their dreams here.
I'm proud that today this council is doing exactly that.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Councilmember Pierina-Sanchez, followed by Ressler.