City Beat: Council approves new restaurant permit fee

Council approved the 2008–09 fee schedule, including the new fee for restaurants, during its regular meeting.

The fee will range from $100 to $325 depending on an eatery’s risk category, which is based on handling of potentially hazardous foods, business volume and previous violations.

The city estimates the fee would generate about $230,000 for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department’s operating budget.

A last-minute effort to table the restaurant fee portion of the fee schedule, which also comprises the city’s charges for numerous building and development services, was unsuccessful. Councilman Doug Burlison proposed an amendment to the bill that would have removed the restaurant fee.

“I’m not sure that we have looked at this as extensively as we should, given some of the feedback we’ve gotten from members of the restaurant community,” Burlison said at the meeting.

“I’d move that we remove the restaurant fee from this bill and revisit that at a later time on its own,” he added.

Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky seconded the motion, stating she was not opposed to the idea of restaurants paying for their inspections but was concerned about the lack of understanding of the proposal among restaurant owners.

Mayor Pro Tem Gary Deaver, however, pointed out that the fee would not take effect until Jan. 1, giving the health department six months to visit with restaurant owners and explain how the new fees would work.

He also mentioned that other municipalities across the state have similar charges; fees in Kansas City and St. Louis County reach as high as $500, while Christian County charges $2 per seat and Polk County charges $100 to $200.

Mayor Tom Carlson noted that the idea of a restaurant permit fee initially came up as part of the recent budget discussions.

“I personally feel like it’s a fair charge,” Carlson said. “It’s fairer to impose the cost of operations on the people making the money than to put a silent tax on the rest of the public. The old lady who can’t go out to eat is subsidizing restaurants and people who do go out to eat.”

The motion to remove the restaurant fee failed 7-2, and council unanimously approved the fee schedule.

Tourism contributions

Council also considered its annual contracts with the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Greater Springfield Sports Commission, to provide those organizations with their share of the city’s hotel/motel tax revenue.

The CVB would receive half the tax revenue, or an estimated $1.7 million, while the sports commission is slated to receive an estimated $60,000.

When asked about the effectiveness of the sports commission’s efforts, CVB Executive Director Tracy Kimberlin said the commission has helped to bring several Amateur Athletic Union basketball tournaments, national soccer tournaments and competitions in tennis, softball and golf to Springfield by assisting with bid presentations and event sponsorships.

“A couple of those sporting events … will generate more sales tax revenue for the city than the city contributes to the sports commission,” Kimberlin said, “so it doesn’t take a lot to pay that back.”

Council is expected to vote on the contracts during its June 30 meeting.