By: Hellen Zaboulani
On Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams announced New York City will be eliminating numerous fines in an effort to cut red tape for businesses. Roughly 30 fines will be completely nixed while 90 more will be reduced, in relation to businesses who break 49 local regulations. Also 39 grace periods will be introduced. As reported by the NY Post, the eased fines are slated to save some 200,000 small businesses across the city approximately $8.9 million annually in penalties.
“For too long, we stifled the entrepreneurial spirit in New York City,” Adams said at a press conference in Manhattan. “No one wanted to do business here, no one wanted to go through the bureaucracy.” Now, “That is not how we are going to run this city,” Adams announced.
Some of the eased regulations include: a Sanitation Department penalty for failing to offer specific bins for disposal of compostable straws, Health Department fines for failing to meet requirements regarding time and temperature control while preparing foods, and the Department of Buildings violation for not posting electrical work permits, as per a City Hall press release. A complete list of the eased violations has not yet been released.
The changes reflect the mayor’s vows last year to take on a pro-business stance. In January, the newly minted Mayor signed Executive Order 2, which mandated several city agencies to re-evaluate prevailing business regulations and rescind unnecessary fines and penalties. “On Day 4 of our administration, we made a promise to our city’s small business, and today we are following through,” Maria Torres-Springer, the deputy mayor for economic development, said on Sunday. “This is a plan that is making sure that the system is working with small businesses and not against them,” she added.
Adams told reporters he doesn’t want business owners to have “agita” when city workers come in. “You should be there with the understanding that they’re here to keep my doors open, they are our partners,” the mayor said.
Randy Peers, the CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, lauded changes. “I am so grateful to Mayor Adams and this administration, in its first week on the job, they announced a small business forward initiative to address fines and violations,” he said, “and today we see the results.”
