06/10/1985 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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II. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CITY MANAGER -- A. July Council Meetings City Manager Micheal Gleason announced that the July 22 and 24 meetings will be cancelled because the councilors will be attending numerous public meetings that month about the Eugene Agenda. III. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Business License Revisions--Phase II (memo, ordinances, background information distributed) City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the item. Susan Smernoff of the Eugene Development Department gave the staff report. She said the council asked the staff to streamline, revise, and consolidate City regulations and processes as a part of the Eugene Economic Diversification Program. During the revision process, concern for the public health and safety was defined as the primary purpose of regulation. Application fees reflect the costs of processing applications. e Ms. Smernoff distributed to the council a memo dated June 10, 1985 and titled "Reference Sheet for Business Regulations." She reviewed the memo which indicated the revised organization of Chapter 3. She noted the City does not require a license for every business in the community now, but, before the revision, the City regulated 2300 people in 35 types of businesses. It has been determined that 20 of those businesses are regulated in other ways and the revisions eliminate those licenses. A business license will be required for ambulance companies, fire safety issues, gas fitters, private security agencies, refuse and recycling collectors, and sidewalk vending. About 600 permits are issued annually for fire safety reasons. Nine types of businesses will be regulated through uniform business practice regulations. They are commercial solicitors, first aid vehicles, social gambling, street vendors, taxi and limousine services, towing, used merchandise dealers, weapons dealers, and wheel chair coach companies. Ms. Smernoff emphasized that the revisions have not changed the substance of the laws for regulating businesses. The aim of the revisions has been to cut out "red tape." She said a public education program about the City regula- tions is very important. Copies of new regulations will be mailed to all affected companies and will be available in City Hall. Copies of the proposed revisions were sent to 1600 people. The staff responded to about 200 phone call s. Discussing two examples of the reV1Slons, Ms. Smernoff said the City now issues a license to companies engaged in merchant police work and another license to companies engaged in detective work. The activities are similar. The two licenses were combined into one license that will be issued to private security agencies. Another example of the revisions is the consolidation of gambling laws from chapters 2, 3, and 4 of the code into chapter 3. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 10, 1985 Page 3