Photo Courtesy of Google
Mayor Adams signed two bills to promote broad-based, equitable economic recovery across the five boroughs.
By Michael V. Cusenza
“For too long, the boulder of bureaucracy has gotten in the way of working New Yorkers and small business owners,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
On Tuesday, he signed two bills aimed at crushing that boulder.
Adams signed two bills to promote broad-based, equitable economic recovery in New York City.
Intro. 116 — sponsored by New York City Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) — would require the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to create a “One-Stop Shop NYC Business Portal,” that would offer all applications, permits, licenses, and related documentation needed to open and operate a small business in the city in a single, easily accessible, and easy-to-navigate location. A user could submit and check on the status of applications, permits, and licenses through this portal as well as settle or pay any outstanding balances on notices of violation. The SBS commissioner also must review the effectiveness and efficiency of the portal every three years, including through a survey of participating small businesses.
Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Adams signed the bills on Tuesday.
The administration committed to building a one-stop-shop Business Portal in its economic recovery blueprint, allowing every business in New York City to execute and track all interactions with the city in real time. The portal will ensure greater accessibility and transparency, enable more predictability of processing times, and facilitate compliance with city rules and regulations. The buildout of the portal is underway, with SBS, the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation, and the Mayor’s Office of Efficiency spearheading an interagency taskforce earlier this year.
Intro. 383 — sponsored by Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) — would require that supplemental registration statements for commercial properties be filed by August 15 (for the period from January 1 through June 30) and February 15 (for the period from July 1 through December 31) each year, rather than a single filing on June 30, as required under current law. Supplemental registration statements would be required for any property that is vacant at the end of a given reporting period. It would also require that the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) release this supplemental registration statement data within 60 days of the reporting deadline, compared to within six months under current law. The bill’s goal is to increase the frequency and timeliness of reported data on commercial vacancies in the city.
