AN ORDINANCE related to increasing the Business License Tax Certificate Fee and amending Sections 5.30.060 and 5.55.030 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
I think those are nice rhythm there. Those oppose vote no, the ayes have it and the appointment is confirmed. Next agenda item place. The report of the Affordable Housing Neighborhoods and Finance Committee. Agenda Item seven Council Bill 118715. Related to increasing the business license, tax certificate fee and amending sections 5.30.060 and 5.55.03 of the Seattle Municipal Code. The committee recommends the bill pass as amended. Councilmember Burgess. Thank you. This item and the next item are two revenue ordinances related to our city business and occupation tax and the business license fee. And Councilmember, as I put it, each of your positions a table that explains this first ordinance. This first ordinance will adjust how we charge for the business license fee. It shifts to a tiered approach and is phased in in 2017 through 2019. For each of these three years, about 85% of all businesses in Seattle will be held harmless and will pay the same business license fee as they pay today for larger companies. They will pay more as we advance through these three years, and that gives us a better proportional distribution of these fees and the resulting revenue that we can achieve. I want to thank councilmembers Herbold and Johnson for working on this with my office and coming up with this alternative proposal that came out of committee. And I urge its passage today. Any other comments or questions by my colleagues? Councilmember Johnson. Just want to say thank you. Council Member Burgess. We when we walked into this process in my office, wanted to take a closer look at the proposal that the Mayor had laid out. When we first received this proposal. It set forth to fund about two thirds of the proposed increase. We sort of set a policy goal of 80%. So thanks for working with us to get towards that policy goal, which I hope. Knock on wood gives this body a more stable revenue source to stand on when we get into the budget discussions a couple of years down the line. So one of that, thanks for working with us so proactively. Councilmember Herbold. Thank you. Yes. Echoing Councilmember Johnson's thanks to Councilmember Burgess, the chair of the committee was very adept at recognizing that the members of his committee had different policy objectives and did a great job working with both of us to accomplish ours. Mine in particular, was an interest in holding smaller businesses harmless from the increase, as well as creating a new tier for higher performing businesses. And I think that the rate structure before us today does so. Very good. Any other comments? One last comment. Councilmember. Burgess. Thank you. One last comment. After the three year phase in in 17, 18 and 19, this legislation then adopts an automatic inflationary adjustment to these rates going forward based on the CPI. Thank you. Hearing no further comments. Please call the role on the passage of the Bill. O'Brien by Sergeant Burgess i. Gonzalez Johnson Juarez I. Herbold I President Harrell I Adan favor and unopposed. Will pass and show assignment next. Agenda item, please.