The Goleta City Council has approved waiving business license fees and directed city staff to work with community stakeholders on a grant program for Old Town businesses.
The Goleta City Council has approved waiving business license fees and directed city staff to work with community stakeholders on a grant program for Old Town businesses. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

After complaints from business owners claiming that they have lost revenue since the street restriping project in Old Town, the Goleta City Council met on Tuesday to discuss possible solutions.  

The city will start waiving business license fees, and the council directed staff to work with Women’s Economic Ventures and community stakeholders on a grant program for Old Town businesses.

The council also agreed to have more community events in Old Town, such as a “dish it out” event where residents could meet a council member at a coffee shop or restaurant to discuss city issues. 

City Manager Robert Nisbet said they will be able to get the business license fee waiver program up and running fairly quickly. 

At Tuesday’s meeting, city staff proposed a grant program that would give certain businesses in Old Town $5,000 if they could demonstrate a profit loss. 

Councilman Stuart Kasdin said he would rather have grants for businesses that have ideas to bring in more customers.

“Instead of focusing on losses, what I’m proposing is focusing on opportunities to promote business,” Kasdin said.

During public comment, Jacqui Inda, chair of policy for the Greater Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Old Town is in a period of change and that the city should partner with businesses to find a path forward. 

“That area is self-sustainable, which means the community supports those businesses and they need those businesses in order to survive as a community,” Inda said. “It’s an ecosystem, so the only way to support an ecosystem is to work with it.”

Inda has been working with business owners to find solutions for economic hardships and to try to form a business improvement district.

The Goleta City Council has agreed to have more community events in Old Town, such as a “dish it out” event where residents could meet a council member at a coffee shop or restaurant to discuss city issues.
The Goleta City Council has agreed to have more community events in Old Town, such as a “dish it out” event where residents could meet a council member at a coffee shop or restaurant to discuss city issues. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

She told the council that businesses might find it more helpful to have the city waive other fees rather than start a grant program.

Councilman Kyle Richards supported waiving license fees and evaluating options to waive other business-related city fees. He also said that if the city does have some kind of grant program, businesses should help decide what that would look like.

“Whatever we do, we really need to make sure we have businesses of Old Town at the table and that we’re hearing from them about what the criteria should be or how those grants are given out,” Richards said. “We need to think about how to include them in the process.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Rebecca Caraway can be reached at rcaraway@noozhawk.com.