Santa Monica : Businesses to Pay More

Some businesses will soon be paying more to the city for a $26,000 business-district promotion and a $200,000 hazardous waste program.

The City Council on Tuesday approved a measure 4 to 1--with Councilwoman Christine Reed dissenting and Mayor Dennis Zane and Councilman William H. Jennings absent--that will require businesses in the Montana Avenue Business District to pay a flat fee of $100 to the district.

The vote changes the way businesses in the district pay their fees, from 4% of their business license tax, to the flat fees. According to city staff, the change--which would result in a fee increase for many businesses--was requested by merchants who said the district needed more money for promotion.

In a separate 6-0 vote, with Mayor Dennis Zane absent, the council approved a measure that will require businesses that use hazardous materials to pay for the city’s hazardous waste response team.

City staff says the program will cost about $200,000 per year, and, according to staff calculations, that means fees of between $172 to $1,099 annually, depending on how much hazardous material a business uses.