DDM - Issue 64 - September 2015
16
T he 47th Street Business Im- provement District sponsored an educational seminar for the property owners in the Diamond District where presentations were given by Saverio Grosso of Eneractive Solutions and Nicholas Stevens of Dalmar Energy Con- sulting. The goal of the seminar was to inform landlords about existing New York City legisla- tion regarding requirements for property owners to make their buildings more energy efficient. Local Law 87 Local Law 87 is part of a package of four laws known as the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, which was enacted in December 2009 to im- prove the energy and water efficien- cy of New York’s largest buildings. Local Law 87 requires property owners to audit energy use and retro-commission their buildings every 10 years, as well as submit an “Energy Efficiency Report” to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) documenting the results. An energy audit is a systematic DIAMOND DISTRICT MONTHLY Vol.64 September 2015 64 Dear Diamond District Community: 47th St. B.I.D. Seminar: Local Law 87 I am pleased to announce onerous fines assessed on small busi- nesses have been cut in half, fulfilling my pledge to reduce fines as well as violations and reduce revenue from these fines by $5 million. Fines assessed have de- clined from $32.5 million to just over $15.7 million, and violations reduced from 19,409 to 11,923. These reductions of violations and costs of fines on businesses, coupled with the City’s Small Business First initiative, are making City govern- ment more responsive and accessi- ble to business owners’ needs. A thriving city of diverse neigh- borhoods depends on small busi- nesses to create jobs, serve their communities, and enrich the city’s economy. Small businesses need support and resources – not onerous fines for violations that don’t pose any risk to consumers. Reducing these fines is a bedrock of our effort to make it easier to open and operate a small business in NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Over 1,300 individuals at 500 firms have been trained on how to comply with the law and get value out of energy audits and retro-commissioning. BY MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO Continued on page 13 Continued on page 14
Transcript of DDM - Issue 64 - September 2015
The 47th Street Business Im-provement District sponsored
an educational seminar for the property owners in the Diamond District where presentations were given by Saverio Grosso of Eneractive Solutions and Nicholas Stevens of Dalmar Energy Con-sulting. The goal of the seminar was to inform landlords about existing New York City legisla-tion regarding requirements for property owners to make their buildings more energy efficient.
Local Law 87 Local Law 87 is part of a package of four laws known as the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, which was enacted in December 2009 to im-prove the energy and water efficien-cy of New York’s largest buildings. Local Law 87 requires property
owners to audit energy use and retro-commission their buildings every 10 years, as well as submit an “Energy Efficiency Report” to
the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) documenting the results.
An energy audit is a systematic
D I A M O N D D I S T R I C T
MONTHLYVol.64September 2015
64
Dear Diamond District Community :
47th St. B.I.D. Seminar: Local Law 87
I am pleased to announce
onerous fines assessed on s m a l l b u s i -nesses have b e e n c u t i n half, fulfilling my pledge to
reduce fines as well as violations and reduce revenue from these fines by $5 million. Fines assessed have de-clined from $32.5 million to just over
$15.7 million, and violations reduced from 19,409 to 11,923.
These reductions of violations and costs of fines on businesses, coupled with the City’s Small Business First initiative, are making City govern-ment more responsive and accessi-ble to business owners’ needs.
A thriving city of diverse neigh-borhoods depends on small busi-nesses to create jobs, serve their c o m m u n i t i e s, a n d e n r i c h t h e city’s economy. Small businesses
need support and resources – not onerous fines for violations that don’t pose any risk to consumers. Reducing these fines is a bedrock of our effort to make it easier to open and operate a small business in
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio
Over 1,300 individuals at 500 firms have been trained on how to comply with the law and get value out of energy audits and retro-commissioning.
By Mayor Bill de Blasio
Continued on page 13
Continued on page 14
LegisLative Update
DIAMOND DISTRICT MONTHLY 580 5th Avenue, Suite 323
New York, NY 10036
Michael Grumet, Publisher [email protected]
O.O. Barrett, Editor
Natalia Cheviakova, Administrative Director [email protected]
Bernard Rapaport, Advertising Sales [email protected]
P: 212-302-5690 F:212-302-7835
Michael Mitchell, Art Director [email protected]
The Diamond District Monthly is published monthly by the 47th Street
Business Improvement District.
Higher Medicare Costs for Affluent IndividualsThe Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, commonly known as the “Doc Fix,” was recently passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Obama. The main focus of this legislation was to permanently repair the method of paying doctors under Medicare. Deep in the bowels of the bill are provisions that will affect financially well off individuals on Medicare. The scale for setting Medicare B and D income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAAs) will change significantly in the near future. This will result in high-net income individuals on the program paying significantly higher amounts than they currently do.
The adjustable gross income determination made by the Social Security Administration in any given year is determined from the tax returns filed two years prior. The new law states that the new payment tier determinations go into effect in 2018. The tax returns used for this determination will be those filed in 2016.
The current top tier, Tier 3, for individuals starts at $160,000 and $320,000 for married couples filing jointly. Beginning January 1, 2018 those income limits will now be for the new top tier – Tier 5. This will translate into an additional cost of $3,621 per individual or $7,242 per couple in additional fees paid for Medicare.
ExEcutivE committEEHarvey Nagin – Nagin JewelryPresidentSteven Grauer – Gold Art 18 Kt LLc ChairmanDennis marlow – Solitaire creations SecretaryRobert Hadi – ABS Partners Real Estate, LLcTreasurer Richard Winick – manny Winick & SonRichard Friedman – i. Friedman & SonsRonnie vanderLinden – Diamex inc.Jeffrey mordekai – Petra Jewelers
BoARD mEmBERSS. David Belsky – S.D.Belsky AssociatesChair Audit Committee Jay Holzer – Dyckmans chris ipek – Altin RealtyRaizy Haas – Extell Development corp.Lucy orozco – valley National Bank matt Selig – Leo ingwerJohn Kocak – unique SettingsYale Zoland – Zoland’sDanielle Azeroual – Premier RealtyAdnan Aydin - Futurama Jewelry ExchangeJack Elo – the Elo Groupmoris Yero Shalmi – ABcmarc Beznicki – Kingmark JewelersAlon mor – mor DiamondsJules Fleischer – Jewelry by Alexander Sammy Abramov – AA Pearlmichael oistacher – manhattan Gold & Silverisaac chetrit – Yadidi GroupSunny Yung – central management corp.memhet Gulay – city Property DevelopmentAdam Abramson – Abramson Brothers Bill de Blasio – mayorScott Stringer – New York city comptroller Gale Brewer – manhattan Borough President Daniel Garodnick – council memberJohn Glaister – ResidentReuven Kaufman – Diamond Dealers club
StAFFmichael Grumet – Executive DirectorNatalia cheviakova – Administrator Director
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ADT150023_en_0415_DDD_DiamondDistrict_May_v3.indd 1 4/22/15 11:54 AM
2013 to 2014 (% Change in value of U.S. exports, HS Code 7113 articles of jewelry & parts, of precious metal or clad)
totaL 2
711319—JEWELRY AND PARTS THEREOF; OF OTH PRECIOUS METAL* -9
711311—JEWELRY AND PARTS THEREOF; OF SILVER* -24
711320—JEWELRY AND PARTS; BASE METAL CLAD W PREC METAL* 641
Ytd export vaLUe of Hs 7113item YTD 2012 YTD 2013 YTD 2014
totaL 2,553,711 2,203,878 2,532,823
711319—JEWELRY AND PARTS THEREOF; OF OTH PRECIOUS METAL* 2,288,061 1,820,350 1,543,098
711311—JEWELRY AND PARTS THEREOF; OF SILVER* 265,650 378,588 301,364
711320—JEWELRY AND PARTS; BASE METAL CLAD W PREC METAL* 0 4,940 688,361
HTS 711319 (Jewelry and parts thereof; of precious metal excluding silver) made up 75.54% of export value in Year to Date of 2014. HTS 711311(Jewelry and parts thereof; of silver) made up 1.61% of export value in Year to Date of 2014. HTS 711320 (Jewelry and parts; base metal clad with precious metal) made up 73.85% of export value in Year to Date of 2014.
For more information about selling overseas please visit the U.S. Department of Commerce website www.export.gov.
YTD EXPORT VALUE OF HS 7113 YTD 2012
YTD 2013
YTD 2014
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
$2,553,711
$2,203,878
$2,532,823
Valu
e in
US
Dol
lars
ANNUAL EXPORT VALUE OF HS 71132012
2013
2014
0
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
$15,844,598 $16,103,722 $16,416,307
Valu
e in
US
Dol
lars
fineJewelryMarket Spain
YTD EXPORT VALUE OF HS 7113 YTD 2012
YTD 2013
YTD 2014
0
20,000,000
40,000,000
60,000,000
80,000,000
100,000,000
$92,839,966
$67,217,996 $75,237,507
Valu
e in
US
Dol
lars
ANNUAL EXPORT VALUE OF HS 71132012
2013
2014
0
100,000,000
200,000,000
300,000,000
400,000,000
500,000,000
600,000,000
700,000,000
800,000,000
$499,085,017
$356,256,233
$637,909,937
Valu
e in
US
Dol
lars
annUaL export vaLUe of Hs 7113item 2012 2013 2014
totaL 15,844,598 16,103,722 16,416,307
711319—JEWELRY AND PARTS THEREOF; OF OTH PRECIOUS METAL* 13,804,589 14,036,975 12,790,461
711311—JEWELRY AND PARTS THEREOF; OF SILVER* 1,616,472 1,758,745 1,342,271
711320—JEWELRY AND PARTS; BASE METAL CLAD W PREC METAL 423,537 308,002 2,283,575
trade sHows in spainname date Link description
espaiJoia September 10-November 10, 2015
http://www.eventseye.com/fairs/f-espaijoia-17368-1.html
Vendors from all over Madrid, come together in this Mediterranean event to expose fine jewelry from around the world.
BisUtex September 9-13, 2015 http://www.ifema.es/intergift_01/ IFEMA is present in several countries spread strategically over five continents where it aims to undertake commercial work and provide support and advice for international exhibitors and poten-tial clients. It also conducts studies on business opportunities in fields which interest exporters and helps those companies and professionals participating at trade fairs.
Madridjoya September 9-13, 2015 http://www.ifema.es/bisutex_01/ This 5-day event provides an overview of a vast va-riety of specialized products and services offered within the market. It also exposes the latest trends and new features from Spain and abroad.
YTD EXPORT VALUE OF HS 7113 YTD 2012
YTD 2013
YTD 2014
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
$2,553,711
$2,203,878
$2,532,823
Valu
e in
US
Dol
lars
ANNUAL EXPORT VALUE OF HS 71132012
2013
2014
0
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
$15,844,598 $16,103,722 $16,416,307
Valu
e in
US
Dol
lars
fineJewelryMarket Spain
*HTS 711319 (Jewelry and parts thereof; of precious metal excluding silver) made up 96.65% of export value in 2014.
For more information about selling overseas please visit the U.S. Department of Commerce website www.export.gov.
What’s the first thing that prospective customers see when they approach your business? Your
signage tells them where you are, draws their atten-tion and attracts them into your business (or possibly drives them away). Summing up your business brand for the world to see, your business signage creates that all-important first impression. How can you ensure it’s a good one? Whether you’re developing signage for a new business, or updating signage for an existing business, here are some things to consider.
1. What are the constraints affecting signage in your area? Your city’s local zoning ordinances will typically govern the type of signage a business can have. For instance, there may be restrictions on the size of a sign, how it can be lighted and even the colors used.
2. What do you want to include in your sign? Your sign is a 24/7 branding tool, so ideally, you want to include your business logo and use your business’s color palette so that your signage harmonizes with the other visual as-pects of your brand. However, if you have a complex logo or can’t use it for other reasons (such as zoning restrictions), try to at least use fonts and colors that tie in with your brand.
Business Signage: 6 Things to Make It Effective
3. Think practical. We’ve all seen examples of the business whose store sign is in a beautiful script that looks pretty, but is impossible to read—especially if you’re whizzing by in a car going 45 miles an hour. Always remember that the purpose of your sign is 1) to help customers find you and 2) to get prospects to notice you. A hard-to-read sign might attract attention of prospects with time on their hands (“What’s that say?”), but it will only frustrate customers trying to find you. Make sure your business signage is large enough, contrasting enough and the font clear enough to be easily readable from across the street, across the parking lot, or wherever else your customers may be coming from.
4. Consider placement. Where your signage is placed also has a big effect. A sign that’s easy to read when lit at night may be hard to see in the bright light of day, when there’s a lot of glare or when the sun hits it from a certain direction. Before investing in a permanent sign, try testing a banner with the same colors, fonts and font sizes in different places on your building.
5. Investigate additional signage options.Talk to your property landlord about options for additional signage to help attract more attention to your business. For instance, if your business is in the back of a big exchange, it may be impossible for customers to see it. In this case, see if the exchange manager will consider putting up directional signs at the center entrances listing which businesses are where. Strengthen your case by getting other businesses to ask for the same thing.
6. Keep it up. Once your sign is up, spend the time and mon-ey to maintain it. Replace burned-out bulbs promptly and keep it clean. Nothing turns prospective customers off like a broken or partially burned-out sign. It tells people you don’t care—and when they see that, they won’t care to do business with you.
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12 APRIL 2015 DIAMOND DISTRICT MONTHLY
ה”בRadio City Synagogue
Chabad of the diamond diStRiCt
times for Prayer and torah Study(Monday-Thursday)
12:40p.m Mincha 1:00 followed by Daf Yomi Shiur
1:45p.m. Mincha followed by Chassidus and Musar
4:15/4:45p.m Mincha/Maariv followed byTanya Shiur
30 W 47th Street, suite 305
Every Wednesday at 2:00p.m “Lunch and Learn” Shiur on the Parsha
For more info: 347-415-2271 or 612-968-1229 or email [email protected]
www.chabad47.com
A DiviSion of ChAbAD LubAviTCh of MiDTown MAnhATTAn
GIA is offering more than 125 scholarships worldwide for its Fall 2015 Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing Arts programs, courses and lab classes. This semi-annual scholarship cycle, totaling approximately $588,000, aligns with GIA’s goals of providing quality education in gemology and jewelry to the trade and aspiring pro-fessionals. The Institute is accepting applications now through April 30 on its website at http://www.gia.edu/scholarships.
Scholarships are available for distance education eLearn-ing courses and for classes at the Institute’s campuses in Bangkok, Carlsbad, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Taiwan; and at the GIA branch in Dubai. Sponsored by private donors and the GIA endowment fund, the scholarships supplement GIA’s wider scope of offerings.
for more information, call (760) 603-4131 or email [email protected].
scholarships
The membership of the Diamond Man-ufacturers & Importers Association
of America (DMIA) held its second annual General Meeting of the year on August 5th, electing a new Executive Board and Board of Directors.
The incumbent President Ronnie Vander-Linden was re-elected. He is joined on the Executive Board by Vice Presidents Saul Goldberg, Eli Haas, Fred Knobloch, Sheldon Kwiat and Matthew Schamroth. Stuart Sam-uels was elected as Secretary and Parag Shah as Treasurer.
The following members were elected for positions on the DMIA’s Board of Directors: Steven Eisen, Avrum Fastag, Marvin Finker, Ishaia Gol, Suzette Gomes, Manny Gordon, Stan Grossbard, Hertz Hasenfeld, Tom Hey-man, Todd Ingwer, Danny Kaleko, Moishe Klein, Daniel Klugman, Melissa Kulhanjian, Jerry Menkin, Alan Rehs, Jack Reiss, Charles Rosario, Michael Steinmetz, and Michael Verstandig.
President Ronnie VanderLinden reelected DMIA 2015
Incumbent DMIA President Ronnie VanderLinden
signing a Commercial Lease: what You need to Know!Learn how to negotiate a fair commercial lease!Business owners know that securing the right commercial space is an important decision, but many are not prepared to enter the lease negotiation process. By effectively negotiating a lease agreement before signing it, small business owners can avoid costly mistakes in the future.
This course teaches you how to negotiate a commercial lease that serves your interests and minimizes your risks. Our course instructors are attorneys who have counseled both landlords and tenants on lease agreements and can share practical strategies for success.
Join us at an upcoming class to learn:• Howtonegotiateyourleasetermandbuildexitstrategiesintothelease• Howtoavoidsigning“form”leasesthatfavorthelandlord• Whatstrategiesyoucanusetolimitpersonalliability• Whattolookforinthepermitteduseprovisions
Wednesday, September 95:30 - 8:30 p.m.NYC Business Solutions Lower Manhattan Center110 William Street, 7th FloorNew York, NY 10038http://www.eventbrite.com/e/signing-a-commercial-lease-what-you-need-to-know-lower-manhattan-1-session-9915-registration-17751825187?aff=ccemail
Wednesday, September 165 - 7 p.m.NYC Business Solutions Brooklyn Center9 Bond Street, 5th FloorBrooklyn, NY 11201http://www.eventbrite.com/e/signing-a-commercial-lease-what-you-need-to-know-lower-manhattan-1-session-9915-registration-17751825187?aff=ccemail
Please RSVP for each course
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Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Presents: Branding EssEntials for EntrEprEnEurs: What is it and Why doEs it MattEr? 8:30 to 10:00am Thursday, September 17, 2015
as an entrepreneur, you know you need it. But you may not be quite sure what it is or how to get it. it’s branding and it is essential to the success of your business. But branding can also be an amazingly squishy term that often means different things to different people. How do you cut through the marketing-speak and make it work for you?Join us on september 17 for a lesson in branding that will answer your questions and unravel the mystery. We’ll provide branding essentials, with practical, real world tools that will help you more effectively market your prod-uct or service. at this panel, you’ll hear from four seasoned professionals, all of whom are immersed in building brands on a daily basis.
You’ll learn about:• Why it’s oK when different marketing professionals define branding differently• Why no one should launch a business - or attempt to run one - without first understanding their brand attributes• The difference between strategic and transactional branding• specific case studies, with applications for your own business• The academic perspective... and how that translates to the real worldif you really want to understand branding, this panel is for you. see your business in a way you may have never considered and walk away with what may be an entirely different perspective.
Moderator:• alan Winnikoff, Co-Principal, sayles & Winnikoff Communications
Speakers:• Jeff linder, President, Executive Creative Director, fresh Branding group• Jennifer peterson, Senior Partner, Group Planning Director, ogilvy & Mather• pia silva, Co-Founder and Brand Strategist, Worstofall design• yanique Woodall, Adjunct Assistant Professor, hofstra university’s school of Communications;
Vice President, Global Communications and Public Relations, 1-800-floWErs.CoMFor more information, please follow the link: https://manhattannycoc.wliinc22.com/events/MCC-Presen
Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Presents: attraCt, sEll, WoW - datE your lEads, Marry your CustoMErs With lifECyClE MarkEting6:00 to 8:00pm Tuesday, September 29, 2015
if you’re struggling to get more sales, yearning to learn how to turn customers into raving fans or just want a few extra tips on boosting sales and referrals, then ramon ray’s “date your leads, Marry your Customers” presentation, hosted by the general assembly is just for you! in this fast paced, easy to understand and energized presentation you’ll have fun and learn.
every business owner wants to attract more customers, convert prospects to sales and wants more referrals from customers. ramon shares how the three principles of “attract, sell, Wow” can help any business upgrade their marketing and sales processes and bring in more sales. Marketing and sales can be tough. However, by following these simple principles ramon helps growing businesses better understand how they can improve their marketing and get better results. This is a Free event!
Presented by ramon ray, small Business evangelist, infusionsoft, Publisher of smart hustle Magazine and Technology evangelist, smallbiztechnology.com.
For more information and to register, please follow the link:http://www.manhattancc.org/events/MCC-Presents-attract%
DIAMOND DISTRICT MONTHLY JULY 2015 13
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer CoNTiNueD froM PAGe 1
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that, “Over the past few years, however, the future of the city’s small businesses—and specifically street-level retail stores and restaurants—has begun to look murky. High rents, corporate competition, and real estate development deals are creating challenges over and above the ones small businesses typically face.” She continued by saying that,” Supporters of small businesses note that commercial landlords regularly try to evict small businesses to make space available to corporate franchises or a na-tional bank which has the deep pockets and ability to pay higher rents. Vast stretches where mom-and-pop stores once prevailed have disappeared from Clinton and Chel-sea to Little Italy and the Bowery. Empty storefronts persist for weeks, months and even years, and more and more street corners are claimed by major banks and corporate chains.”
Ms. Brewer made four recommenda-tions to help small businesses: l) Have government help small businesses cope in
the current real estate market. 2) Improve government interaction with small busi-nesses. 3) Reform the city’s Commercial Rent Tax which unfairly targets only com-mercial businesses below 92nd Street in Manhattan. 4) Maximize resources among government agencies.
To obtain the entire report, contact: Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough
President, 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, (212) 669-8300.
After Ms. Brewer’s presentation, a lively discussion ensued — with the main complaint expressed from the commercial tenants in the District being that after many years of successful operation of a business in one location many property owners have recently given notice to ten-ants that the tenant must vacate their space in sometimes as little as 30 days. Ms. Brewer’s legislation would require much more lenient tenant notification terms and also call for mediation in the case of commercial rent increases. Commercial
tenants also complained that their square footage was often recalculated much to the property owners benefit without a standard form of calculation, which left them no recourse to challenge a higher rent based on a newly declared larger square footage of the commercial unit.
Another complaint lodged to the Bor-ough President by the commercial tenants was the City’s reissuance of licensure to comply with laws requiring repairs to fa-cades but no requirement that the repairs be done in a timely manner.
Borough President Brewer took copious notes from the commercial tenants pres-ent and promised to take their concerns into consideration in the legislation that is being formed. She also promised to continue the dialog with the Diamond District Community and use her powers to help this iconic economic engine of New York City retain its vibrancy and importance as a manufacturing, retailing, wholesaling and exporting center.
analysis of a buildings energy equipment and systems to identify cost-effective capital improvements that will save energy. An energy audit report provides a list of recommended strategies to save energy along with an estimate of their cost and payback. Local Law 87 requires property owners to receive an en-ergy audit, but does not require them to follow the recommendations described therein.
Retro-commissioning is the testing and tune-up of existing building systems to confirm they are operating as designed and as efficiently as possible. Building owners must rectify any and all violations, unlike energy audits which do not require owners to rectify any violations.
DOB is responsible for enforcement of these laws. Failure to comply with Local Law 87 will be deemed a Class 2 violation, subjecting property owners to fines of $3,000 for the first year and $5,000 for each additional year of non-compliance.
To determine if your building is subject to the Law, use the gross square footage of the building according
to the Department of Finance. Your property (tax lot) is subject to the Law if it includes one building larger than 50,000 gross square feet. The Law does not apply to one to three family residences.
Your property will be required to submit an Energy Efficiency Report every 10 years. Using the last digit of your tax block number, you can identify the year in which your report is due. If the last digit is 6, then your Report is due in 2016.
You must select a qualified energy auditor and the work of the audit must begin a year before the Report is due.
A variety of programs are available from NYSERDA and Con Edison to help pay for the energy efficiency improvements recommended in the energy audit.
If you have any questions, contact Saverio Grosso of Eneractive Solutions (212) 269-2302 or Nicholas Ste-vens of Dalmar Energy Consulting (908) 672-0208).
This is the 1st article in a two part series. The next article will be on the requirements of Local Law 88.
47th St. B.I.D. Seminar: Local Law 87 CONTINUeD FROM PAge 1
12 JULY 2015 DIAMOND DISTRICT MONTHLY
B U S I N E S S W O R T H ?We understand that it’s much more than diamonds,
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F O R A L L I T S W O RT H
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New York City, and I’m proud to see our fair reforms translate in the numbers.”
I care deeply about the livelihood of the city’s busi-nesses and prioritized the Department of Consumer Affairs to reduce onerous fines through education, fairness and transparency, not on the backs of small businesses. The reforms we implemented have trans-lated into more than $5 million going directly back into the pockets of small business owners, allowing them to reinvest their hard-earned money.
Under my leadership, the City is expanding educa-tion of small businesses, including services in mul-tiple languages and resources for both online and in one-stop shops, as well as simplifying City rules and compliance processes to help further reduce the regulatory burden and fines and violations on small businesses.
Since implementing the Small Business Relief Pack-age last July, the Department of Consumer Affairs:• Cut the number of violations issued to businesses
by more than one-third, from 19,409 in Fiscal Year
2014 to 11,923 in the last fiscal year.• Reduced fines assessed by more than half from
over $32.5 million in Fiscal Year 2014 to just over $15.7 million in Fiscal Year 2015.
This was done by issuing warnings for violations that don’t cause immediate consumer harm, decreasing the number of counts per violation and offering lower settlement amounts. Consumer Affairs additionally issued 3,632 ‘curable violations’ in 2014 – allowing many business to correct first-time signage viola-tions. These reductions were made while at the same time securing 70 percent more in restitution for consumers.
As part of Small Business First, the City also an-nounced the launch of a new online tool to help businesses comply with New York City codes and regulations, and avoid fines and violations by providing information on how to avoid the most common fines, tickets and citations issued to businesses in specific sectors. Business owners can access the online tool at on.nyc.gov/commonviolations.
Dear Diamond District Community : By Mayor Bill de Blasio CONTINUeD FROM PAge 1
