A Small Victory
By Mitch Berg
There’s good news, and there’s bad news.
The good news? Outrage from Twin Cities’ bar owners over a ham-fisted backdoor tax hike (which we covered last March) got results; the Met Council has cut the regional sewer fee for patio seating:
Twin Cities bar and restaurant owners got a break Wednesday from the Metropolitan Council on fees charged for outdoor patio seating that help pay for the regional sewer system. One pub owner already is planning to add a patio next summer.
The Metropolitan Council approved a 75 percent discount on the fees effective Oct. 1. Restaurateurs had argued that the regional sewer-system fees they pay for outdoor dining seats, on top of what they pay for indoor seating, are excessive.
The Council was charging the same fees for outdoor patio seats – which are really useful from June through August, or April through October for people like me – as they were for indoor, year-round seating. It made patio seating unaffordable for many restauranteurs and pub owners, like our friend Terry Keegan at Keegan’s Irish Pub in Minneapolis who, unsurprisingly given the outspoken sort he is, turns up in the story.
And therein lies the “bad” news, of sorts:
Keegan’s Irish Pub in Minneapolis shut down its outdoor patio last year after city inspectors said the bar needed to pay $7,200 in regional sewer fees. Keegan’s plans to reopen the patio next year. “We wouldn’t do it at all if they didn’t bring the charge down,” owner Terry Keegan said. “We simply couldn’t afford it.”
So the patio will not, in fact, be open for Saturday’s fifth anniversary MOB gala. But what the heck; the sidewalk’ll be nice.
And we have a victory to celebrate now!
Given how few and far between victories are for small businessmen, property owners and the little guy in places like the Twin Cities this past few years, it’s worth tipping a pint or two.
September 10th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
I’m happy for Terry. That patio is very popular and I know that it increased his patronage.
Dealing with the screwballs city leaders that pass for in the MPLS is hard enough without having to consent to financial rape.
September 10th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Minneapolis is a sewer.
September 10th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
The Met Council’s fees were completely disproportionate to the expense. Glad they finally came to their senses. It’s nice to see that every so often, common sense can still prevail.
I contacted several met council members on this a while back and it seemed to fall on deaf ears. The day before the last public hearing I sent another email to the rep in my area – Lynette Wittsack. A clerical type in the office followed up with a very thorough recap of the events of the hearing, and acknowledged that the case to lower the fees was very well presented. Although it took a while, small credit to the council for finally listening to tax paying citizens and small business owners. I think it helped that a couple of Mpls Councilpeople stepped out to speak against the fee as well — lower patronage means fewer dollars in the city coffers.
September 10th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
By the way Mitch, did you let Terry know the MOB is invading?
September 10th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
The Met council is the one responsible for the tax, yet is an unelected body. That is another thing that needs changing.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Agreed. The Met Council should be disolved. Interesting question to pose in the next gubernatorial candidate forum.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Nord – Yes. I gave ’em like six weeks’ notice this time.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:18 am
I understand the advantage of the Met council because it covers the regional issues like sewers which would be difficult for the individual cities or counties to do well. My beef is the taxing and regulatory authority by an unelected goverment body. Either all taxing stuff runs back through the legislature for final approval and signed off by the govenor. Or we open the Council to elections, my preference. Also the council has had scope creep over the years os perhaps a rewritting of the charter to rein that back in.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Here is a comment I posted to the Pioneer Press article. Cross posted at http://freedomtoact.com ……
With their “friends and family” employment nepotism, the anti-smoking groups, largely funded with public or tax exempt money have a lot of time and money to harass smokers, even when the smokers are outdoors. The link between “adult beverage” consumption and burden on the Metro sewer system is extremely species.
Oh! I get it! Except for a few micro brews, most beer and wine consumed is produced from sources outside of the Metro sewer and water districts. Thus that imported 20 ounce “game tap” (hopefully!) eventually ends up in our sewer system. The processing costs in the sewer system from this added “organic waste” is virtually nil. Even groups like the Sierra Club concede that the Twin Cities sewer system does an excellent job with organic wastes. The cost is low. Groups like the Sierra Club worry about thing like phosphates and “heavy metals”.
The anti-tobacco “prohibitionists” may have done bars a favor if it looks like they colluded with the Metro Council to apply the indoor rate. This may allow a legal challenge of the entire “bar seating surcharge” scheme based on the equal protection clause in the constitution. I’d say that a 5% to 10% surcharge on water meter based surcharge may be the a maximum appropriate surcharge.
Actually, the largest sewer cost is fat and grease in the sewer system from almost any food service with a grill or deep fry. Water and oil/fat don’t mix and it is costly for the sewer system to process. The solution is a fat rendering system which is generally used and can be documented. This could make for an interesting legal challenge to the “seating tax” concept.