Brooklyn's Progress
August/September 2006

BY LETICIA THEODORE

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn shook hands on a $52.9 billion budget for FY 2007. Further, the business community, through Wall Street profits and a robust real estate market, contributed to the city’s $6.1 billion surplus during FY 2006. So how did the community business fare overall in this year’s budget? The answer is, “Not bad.”

The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and related programs are largely unscathed. In fact, with new mayoral initiatives in the works and more than $3.25 million in new funding for City Council ventures local entrepreneurs should look for a menu of services to help them meet their needs.

“We’re excited about the coming year – not only because of our current programs, but also because of the launch of a number of new initiatives,” said SBS Commissioner Robert W. Walsh. “Business Express, an online permitting system will launch by the end of the year and will revolutionize the way small businesses interact with the City.  We will fully implement the City’s minority- and women- owned business programs, to increase opportunities in government contracting for more small businesses. We will continue to improve our services to businesses through NYC Business Solutions, and to jobseekers, through our Workforce1 Career Centers.  And of course we will continue to strengthen commercial corridors around the city by helping communities form Business Improvement Districts, Local Development Corporations and Merchants’ Associations.”

Last year SBS created three new Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) this year three have been created to date for a total of 55 BIDS citywide.

City Council Restorations and More
Most, if not all, SBS programs have retained their funding as a result of funding restorations by the City Council. They provided enhancements with new funding pet initiatives like $584,000 for small business and job development as well as $1.5 million for a Minority- Women-Owned Business Enterprise Leadership Association. New funding also went to the following City Council initiatives

• Move Smart/ Stay Lean - $300k
• Study to Create Opportunities through Micro-lending - $250,000
• Economic Development/ Business Incubation - $346,000
• Non-Traditional Employment of Women Initiative - $150k
• NYC Green Manufacturing Initiative - $150k

For City Councilman David Yassky, head of the Council’s Small Business Committee and a Congressional candidate, the budget wasn’t all good news. His small business healthcare initiative was not included in the roster of new programs being funded.

“We’re glad money was spent on relocation programs for Greenpoint businesses, more of that needs to be done,” said Mr. Thies “We have to be conscious that small businesses are more vulnerable to shifts in the economy so there have to be more mechanisms in place to protect them and that’s what we’re going to do this year in the Small Business Committee.”

To learn more about SBS programs and services visit www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/home/html. For a detailed breakdown of New York City Council budget initiatives visit http://www.nyccouncil.info/.