Assemblyman William Colton (D – Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) is happy to hear that the signage bill will be voted on in the city council next week.

According to Council Member Espinal’s office, the bill’s introducer, the new bill will:

• Establish an immediate one-year moratorium on signage violations
• Allow businesses that have received fines and not yet paid them to apply to the city to have them waived
• Allow businesses that have already paid fines to only pay 25% of any fees on permits for new signs or awnings.
• Convene an awnings task force of small business owners, borough chambers of commerce and representatives of “various agencies” to address “further and existing concerns.”
• Allow any general contractor to hang signs or awnings, instead of the 40 or so currently licensed by the city.

“I am outraged with the clause in the signage bill that business owners that already paid fines will not be reimbursed and on top of it all have to pay 25% fees on permits for the new sign or awning. I am pleased that the council is acting promptly to stop future fines but this decision by Mayor de Blasio not to refund unjust fines already paid by small business owners is unacceptable and must be reversed,” Colton demands.

“The city administration policy must be to support and encourage a small business which provides so many jobs to New York City neighborhood people. It should not be by harassing small businesses by imposing unjust fines. If the city needs revenue they should not be giving corporate tax giveaways to corporate giants like AMAZON,” Colton said.