Councilman David G. Greenfield is applauding Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for instituting reforms to the restaurant health inspections to drastically reduce fines and ensure that the process focuses on keeping the public safe and not on raising revenue for the city, as has been the case in recent years. Councilman Greenfield has been working with restaurant owners and the Council leadership on this issue since taking office, especially after hearing from many local restaurant owners at a meeting he hosted in February 2012. Those restaurants complained that the constant and arbitrary fines, often issued for non-food safety related issues, have made it nearly impossible to operate a restaurant in New York City. In response, Councilman Greenfield has pushed for drastic changes to the inspection system over the past two years, including co-sponsoring the changes included in this legislative package.

“I am proud to be part of the effort to bring the focus back to food safety with these reforms. My thanks to Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito and all of my colleagues who played a role in this process, and to all of the outstanding restaurant operators who are such an important part of our city,” said Councilman Greenfield.

Under the plan, fines for low-severity issues that are not related to food safety would be reduced by 50 percent. Approximately 60 percent of all violations currently issued fall into this category. In addition, under the new agreement, restaurant owners will be absolved from paying nay fines if the inspection results in a point rating of 14 or less. Owners will also have an opportunity to rectify any structural issues with their building before receiving a violation. Finally, the city will take steps to educate restaurant owners on the health regulations so that they can better comply and meet the Health Department’s expectations during inspections. Literature will be distributed explaining the inspection process, and most importantly, owners can request a practice inspection during which no fines will be issued.
”These reforms mark the culmination of years of hard work. I want to thank the dozens of restaurant owners who worked with me to make this happen. The new system will help ensure that a fair system is in place that focuses on the need to keep the public safe instead of using restaurants as an endless revenue source for the city,” added

Councilman Greenfield held a historic meeting in his district for all local restaurant owners to directly hear their concerns, frustrations and suggestions to reform the process. He then took these concerns directly to the City Council during hearings and began working with former Speaker Christine Quinn to implement some of the changes. He has since continued this effort with the new administration led by Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito. He will continue to work with restaurant owners and other merchants in his district on additional ways to make it easier to operate a small business in New York City.

(YWN Desk – NYC)