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Business Retention & Development Committee <br />Meeting Minutes <br />April 4, 2016 <br />Page 5 of 6 <br />If we change this will we discourage businesses? DeJong stated the incentive will be <br />easier to implement, making service after the agreement a better experience. <br />Is BRaD in favor of the new formula? Implementation would be nearly the same as the <br />sales tax rebate for business. Currently the incentive is 50% rebate of taxes on only <br />durable purchases and suggestion is to move to 30% of all purchases subject to <br />consumer use taxes. <br />Commissioner Staufer asked is this a disincentive for those who have a lot of durable <br />goods. <br />Council member Lipton asked why you wouldn't let the business choose the method. <br />DeJong had not thought about giving businesses a choice. We are suggesting a <br />simplified approach and offering both would not achieve this objective. Council member <br />Maloney leans toward simplification. <br />Direction was given to DeJong to move forward adjusting the the consumer use tax <br />rebate incentive to be 30% rebate of consumer use taxes. DeJong will with Attorney <br />Sam Light to revise the BAP agreement. <br />SIGN CODE DISCUSSION <br />Commissioner Menaker said nobody likes the sign code. We have never been able to <br />change it. The most difficult problem we face is that signage is subjective. His view is to <br />offer an expedited process to allow people to submit sign drawings to Council and allow <br />Council to vote on the proposed signage plan that doesn't meet the sign code. If we <br />have that process then we can step of enforcement of "gorilla signs." The prevalence of <br />these signs tell us our sign code is not working. <br />As an example, the Climbing Gym in CTC brought a good idea forward and it was <br />approved. He wants to build on that success. <br />DeJong said there are a lot of written rules for approval. Some properties are governed <br />by other documents. Some implementations are easier than others. <br />Commissioner Angell said signage is brought up as an issue at every retention visit. <br />Council member Lipton said in the 1990s signage was limited. Today's times are <br />different. We need to address it systemically. Anarchy is not the answer. Having <br />everyone go around staff and planning commission is not the answer. If we want to <br />raise it as a issue city -wide, then we should. City Council does not have the ability to <br />make individual decisions. <br />As a philosophy, Jim Tienken agrees with Council member Lipton. <br />6 <br />