May 16, 2007

Small Business Advisory Council Presents Action Platform In Annual Report To City Council

SBAC positions itself as an advocate for solutions that improve the prosperity of Portland small businesses

The City Small Business Advisory Council (SBAC), a four-year-old volunteer organization staffed by the Portland Development Commission, presented its annual report to Portland City Council on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, which included an overview of the SBAC’s first action platform to address priority issues.

The inaugural action platform calls out a list of seven reforms, resources or assistance programs requested of City Council and the budget commitments needed for implementation: (1) business license fee reforms; (2) city investment in an enhanced business web portal; (3) an economic development loan fund; (4) business disruption mitigation related to the economic impact of public works projects on nearby businesses; (5) continuous funding to build capacity for the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA); (6) programs, resources and opportunities focused around economic and environmental sustainability; and (7) fundamental regulatory reform.

Mayor Tom Potter accepted SBAC’s report and said he would consider the proposals.  SBAC Chair Jackie Babicky also noted the group’s advancement. “SBAC's emphasis has moved from reactive to proactive, as demonstrated by the SBAC Action Platform detailed in our annual report, and the Small Business Bill of Rights, which we will be taking to Council this summer,” she said.

Commissioner Sam Adams added, “Having been involved with the SBAC since its inception, I’m pleased to see the significant progress they’ve made in the past four years.”

The SBAC was established in 2003 to provide an organized voice for small business to work with the City Council on policies, regulations and projects, with the ultimate goal to enhance the competitiveness of the area’s small businesses. In addition to PDC staffing, the SBAC is supported by City Council and City bureau staff.  For information online, go to www.pdc.us/smallbusiness.

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