Increase in Business Fee Seen as Aid to Libraries, Police : Thousand Oaks: Mayor Pro Tem Andy Fox says raising the charges by 45% would generate $700,000.

Thousand Oaks could raise its business licensing fees to boost funding for public safety and libraries, Mayor Pro Tem Andy Fox told the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors Monday.

Increasing the annual fees, which have never been raised, would allow the city to pour as much as $700,000 more into police and library services while keeping its budget balanced, he said.

Although the city must first make sure its operations are running at peak efficiency before looking for new revenues, Fox said, the money may be needed to meet public concern over crime and to maintain the library system.

“The responsible thing for the council to do is come to the community and say, ‘Look, here’s the size of the pie,’ ” he said. “We need to seriously consider adding more money to the pie.”

Steve Rubenstein, the chamber’s executive director, said his organization would decide whether to back the proposal before the City Council begins budget discussions in September.

“We’ll be talking to our members and retailers, the people who pay the fees, and see how they feel about the entire plan,” he said.

Board Chairman Dennis Gillette, in a note distributed to board members, urged them to support raising the license fees by about 35%. The cost of Thousand Oaks business licenses, he said, is well below that of other area communities.

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The fees are based on gross receipts, Fox said. Although the city’s finance director, Robert Biery, said there is no typical or average amount paid, a business with $500,000 in gross annual receipts pays about $150. The minimum fee is $20.

A budget task force appointed by the City Council suggested raising the fees, Fox said, and increasing them by 45% would generate $700,000. The exact percentage, however, remains as open to debate as the rest of the proposal, he said.

Board member Jill Lederer, who owns five Domino’s Pizza restaurants in Thousand Oaks, said the proposal made sense to her.

“If I pay a bit more on my business license fee and get some more police officers, I’ll take it,” she said. “It’s a no-brainer.”

Crime, she said, can drive up the costs of a business’s insurance and threaten employees. “Nothing will change your day faster than having an employee injured,” she said.

During the board meeting, Fox also discussed the possibility of having one city employee devoted solely to economic development. Rubenstein said later that he liked the idea and has suggested to the council that the chamber perform that role for the city on contract. The chamber would, if contracted by the city, hire someone specifically for the task.

Fox said he would consider such an idea, provided that the position had the proper supervision.

“It’s important, if we’re going to be spending city dollars, that the direction and oversight be at the council level,” he said.