Time for change in city licensing

I think it’s important to clarify a few point on your news article about our Olympia mayor’s business license filings. My concern is with the city licensing costs.

Olympia’s retail permit is $80. In addition, there is a $19 processing fee from the Department of Licensing. I feel $99 is a high price for any new business to bear and a show stopper for a micro business of the sorts started by writers or artists.

We need common sense all around. I very much hope the City Council will add a low-cost micro-entrepreneur tier to the licensing structure. I also hope the city will deploy a renewal reminder system that uses the modern technologies of email and text messaging.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Time for change in city licensing."