Mayor Jeff Schrag's original bill would have suspended enforcement of a new city code (not yet in effect), which requires businesses to prove they've paid all personal property taxes before getting a license. Council Member Craig Hosmer, who sponsored that law, initially reacted with some hostility. But at the September 8 meeting he introduced a piece of compromise legislation he had worked out with Schrag.
The new version of the bill sends the code to committee but doesn't suspend enforcement. It also authorizes the city manager to grant temporary licenses for businesses sorting out tax issues. That, along with a promise from city staff to educate businesses about the new rule, was enough to win Schrag's support.
"I feel lucky to be serving on a council like this one, where compromise and congeniality is the norm, and not the exception," Schrag said in a written statement read by Mayor Pro Tem Heather Hardinger in his absence.
At the September 8 meeting, Council Member Derek Lee questioned how tensions between Hosmer, Schrag and the city had deflated so quickly. On Monday, however, the substitute bill passed unanimously with no comment after Schrag's.