City Raising Fees Again
April 15, 2022
My plan was to give myself and readers a break from WPB Watch City stories over the Easter weekend. You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and man. Things change and plans are altered. I received an email today and I feel I must share it with readers as timing is crucial.
Those who have read about the increase in parking, presented to residents at the last possible moment to avoid pushback from voters & taxpayers.
The city has done it again and why not it worked before with the parking increase. This is what happens when people don’t pay attention and the results are no one complaining at the City Commission meetings.
There are different problems in all areas of the city, and lately it appears the powers to be are concentrating on the downtown area once again.
Most readers will not be impacted by this notice but I ask for unity and your involvement in this issue. Help the downtown area with your voice, and hopefully when they come for you and changes the city want to make in your area the downtown will stand with us and use their voices.
Below is the email I refer too.
“Hello Downtown Stakeholders,
I know we have all been very busy and understandably may not had the time to keep up with the happenings within our government downtown. I just received in the mail the new proposed resolution No 87-22 (attached) which goes to a Commission vote this Monday, April 18th. I was not aware of this proposal until 3 days ago . The City and DDA said there were merchant meetings discussing it but the most recent was over one year ago and as I am getting on in years, I do not remember it.
The proposal changes the way we are charged for Sidewalk annual permits. Currently we pay a $150 annual permit fee. The new proposal will be a $200 fee plus an annual charge of $5 per sq foot of your sidewalk cafe area. For some it may be a minor amount and for larger establishments more impactful. For the average sidewalk patio it does represent a 1,500% increase in fees. I’m sure we would all support such a tax IF we knew where the additional revenue was going ie. mitigate homelessness, keep streets cleaner, more security downtown etc. I’m just afraid it will wind up in the City cloud slush fund.
After last weeks dramatic parking rate increase, which I also do not feel the downtown merchants had a chance to participate in, this is just another unnecessary tax on businesses downtown. Again this may not effect most of us but I do think it will effect some of the struggling businesses that are barely recovering from the covid pandemic.
We are only asking in this petition for a 30 day delay in the Commission vote to allow time for a merchant meeting, which is long overdue, and a chance for us to ask questions and give some input.
Please consider signing the petition, Fill in your business name. We will send the results to the commission at their meetings this Monday.”
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/city-of-west-palm-beach-commision-sidewalk-cafe
Notice from the City can be read below.
The end.