Mayor: New York City small businesses seeing less red tape, opening faster

THE BRONX (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says small businesses in the city are seeing less red tape, opening faster and facing fewer fines, putting them on the fast track to open their doors in your neighborhood.

Meeting business owners on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, de Blasio released a "Small Business Progress Report" outlining a 40 percent reduction in fines, a three-month reduction in the time it takes to open a restaurant, and a surge in certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises.

"We've slashed unnecessary fines and helped stores open their doors faster because small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy," he said. "When someone from the city walks through a business's door these days, we're there to educate and to help. We want to see businesses thrive and grow in every borough."

The mayor said that in the Bronx alone, the city has served over 3,800 businesses through its borough Business Solutions Center, and that in 2016, mobile business support program Chamber On-the-Go reached the storefronts of an additional 295 Bronx businesses. He added that since the start of his administration, the number of certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises in the Bronx increased by 27 percent.

De Blasio touted the following achievements as resulting from his plan.

Reduced Fines While Protecting Consumers

--Slashed fines by 40 percent

--Helped small business owners to avoid more than $6 million in potential fees

Cut Red Tape, Helped Businesses Open Faster

--Helped restaurants to open 3 months faster through expanded City programs (3 months compared to 6 without City support)

--Provided 12,000 services to small businesses at innovative multi-agency service center, opened last year

--Under Mayor de Blasio, nearly 95 percent of restaurants earned an 'A' letter grade as sanitary violations plummeted by more than 40 percent

Ensuring Access for All Business Owners

--Nearly doubled the percentage of the value of city contracts awarded to certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2016, from 8 percent to to 14.3 percent

--Served more than 12,000 foreign-born entrepreneurs

--The WE NYC initiative has helped over 2,000 women start and grow their businesses

Provided Free Legal Services to Protect Small Businesses

--500 business owners have received free legal advice since 2015, helping them negotiate more favorable lease terms