Whatcom changes restaurant, tavern permits to aid in coronavirus recovery
Restaurants and taverns in Whatcom County can continue operating with expired permits until July 1 after Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu issued an executive order Friday, April 24.
County Council members will be considering further relief next month for businesses affected by closures and other measures prompted by the new coronavirus pandemic.
Businesses whose permits expire between April and June will be allowed to operate without penalty; and late fees assessed from February through April have been waived, according to the order. Late fees will not be charged again until Feb. 28, 2021.
Permits still must be renewed by July 1 and any permit that is more the 60 days overdue will be considered lapsed.
“As we work to slow the spread of COVID-19, we must also take steps to limit the economic impacts on our community,” Sidhu said in a statement. “Delaying these required payments is just one small measure, but I hope it will help our restaurants focus on recovery planning so that they can reopen and rebuild their business when it is safe to do so.”
Fees from permits of all kinds — including those for building, food handling, restaurants and solid waste — raised nearly $4 million of the county’s $437 million 2019-2020 budget, documents show.
The estimated fiscal impact of waiving the restaurant and tavern late fees is about $5,000 in 2020, according to a proposed ordinance that aims to give relief to restaurants and other food-service businesses that have been closed in Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-home orders aimed at limiting the spread of the new coronavirus.
County Council members have been discussing ways to help small business owners survive the pandemic crisis at several recent meetings — including waiving fees.
An ordinance to extend the length of restaurant operating permits is scheduled for discussion at the County Council’s May 5 meeting.
Extending such permits by three months would cost the county $153,000, according to the proposed ordinance.
Businesses whose permits expire from March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, would be eligible for relief, according to the proposed ordinance.
