Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972
The current law was amended in 1990 to increase the fee for a permit from $5.00 per day to $29.00 per day based on a review by the Police Department that revealed that the actual cost of issuing a permit for and regulating the use of a sound device was $29.00. A review for the current fiscal year revealed that this cost had increased to over $45.00.
The bill is designed to bring the administrative code provisions governing the fee for sound device permits into conformity with the actual cost associated with the issuance and regulation of sound permits. In addition, the bill will establish criteria for the issuance by the Police Commissioner of multiple-day sound device permits and fix an appropriate fee for such permits. The bill will authorize the Police Commissioner to issue a multiple-day permit to a single applicant for the same location for no more than a period of five consecutive days.
The fee for the first day of a multiple-day permit would be the same as the fee for a single-day permit - $45.00. The fee for each additional day of a multiple-day permit would be $5.00, commensurate with the actual cost associated with the processing of additional days on a single permit for the same location.
I will now turn to the bill's sponsor, and then to any other elected official wishing to speak. Now I will turn to the general audience. Is there anyone to speak in opposition? Is there anyone wishing to speak in support? There being no one else to be heard, and for reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.
In 1992, state legislation was enacted to authorize the State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to collect the tax imposed by the City on certain motor vehicles. This state legislation was expressly conditioned upon the City Council's enactment of a local law and execution by the Commissioner of Finance of an agreement governing such collection. This bill is designed to implement that state authorizing legislation. It provides that the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles will collect the tax payable on commercial motor vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less and motor vehicles other than medallion taxicabs, used for transportation of passengers other than medallion taxicabs, provided the vehicle is registered pursuant to the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law.
The tax will be payable at the time the vehicle is registered or the registration is renewed, and payment of the tax will be a condition precedent to such registration or renewal. The Commissioner of Finance will continue to collect the tax on vehicles other than those described; if the Commissioner of Finance notifies the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles that the tax has not been paid, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles must withhold the issuance of registration or renewal certificate unless the vehicle owner submits proof, that the tax has in fact been paid or that no tax is due.
The bill authorizes the Commissioner of Finance to enter into an agreement with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles governing collection of the subject taxes. That agreement will provide for the exclusive method of collection, custody and remittal to the Commissioner of Finance of the proceeds of the taxes collected by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles; for the reimbursement by the City to the Department of Motor Vehicles reasonable expenses of collecting the tax; for annual audits by the Commissioner of Finance of the accuracy of payments, distributions or remittances to the City; and for the date on which collection by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles is to begin.
Section 2 of the bill makes a technical amendment to the Administrative Code, which prescribes the current tax rates applicable to commercial motor vehicles. That provision now states that a $40 rate applies to commercial motor vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less. The amendment provides that if that state motor vehicle registration fee for the vehicle is less than $40, the tax will be equal to the amount of the registration fee.
The Department of Finance currently administers and collects the taxes imposed on commercial vehicles and motor vehicles for the transportation of passengers. In recent years, it has encountered a high rate of noncompliance with the tax on the part of certain classes of vehicle owners. This bill will promote greater compliance by requiring payment of the tax to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles as a condition precedent to the registration or renewal of the registration of a taxable motor vehicle. Collection of the tax by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles will also produce administrative cost savings for the City.
I will now turn to the bill's sponsor, and then to any other elected official wishing to speak. Now I will turn to the general audience. Is there anyone to speak in opposition? Is there anyone wishing to speak in support? There being no one else to be heard, and for reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.
Lawrence W. Brochhausen was born on September 12, 1947 to Walter and Ethel Brochhausen and grew up in Flushing, Queens. He graduated from Marta Christi High School and attended Queens College on a scholarship. Larry was a theater major and, after graduation, pursued his passion for acting and directing in community theater.
During college, Larry interned for the Internal Revenue Service, where he gained a great deal of knowledge in the area of tax collection and administration. He brought that experience with him when he joined the Department of Finance's Operations Division in December of 1986. Some of his accomplishments at the Department of Finance include taxpayer-friendly mailings to property owners and a state of the art computer system to manage the thousands of taxpayer accounts for both business and property taxes. This latter project recently received a reward from the Federation of Tax Administrators for outstanding technical achievement.
Larry lived with his family in Great Kills, Staten Island, where he and his wife Judith were active members of the community. He was an active member of the Christ Lutheran Church, where he was a member of the parish council, served as its president and taught Sunday school. He and his wife volunteered their home as a shelter for runaway teenagers. His love for children also led to his decision to become a coach for his son's Little League team, a Little League team in Rockland County and a girl's softball team.
On May 12, 1994, Larry died of a heart attack in front of his office at the Department of Finance on Elm Place. He is survived by his wife Judith, their son Justin, his children Christine and Joshua, his parents, sister and three brothers. Larry was a humorous, intelligent and devoted man who brought joy and happiness into the lives of those who knew him. Accordingly, in memory of Lawrence Brochhausen, this legislation adds his name to Elm Place between Fulton and Livingston Streets.
I will first turn to the sponsor of the bill, and then to any other elected official wishing to speak. Now I turn to the general audience. Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in opposition? Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in support? There being no one else to be heard, and for the reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.
Eugenio Maria De Hostos was born in Rio Canas, Puerto Rico in 1839. He attended elementary school in San Juan and studied education and law in Spain. He joined fellow students in the effort to liberalize Spain's colonial rule of Cuba and Puerto Rico and to abolish slavery in those countries.
In 1869, Eugenio moved to New York City where he joined other exiles in the Cuban Revolutionary Junta. He also traveled to Latin America to recruit support for the liberation movement, protesting exploitation of Chinese immigrants in Peru, advocating expanded educational opportunities for women in Chile and campaigning for the construction of the first trans-Andean railroad in Argentina.
As a result of his advocacy, the Chilean government established a school for Eugenio where he implemented his advanced concepts of education, creating a renowned Latin American institution. While in Chile, he wrote award-winning curriculums for Spanish and history and published literary, artistic and philosophical works.
After Spain relinquished its rule of Puerto Rico, Eugenio returned there to work for the island's independence. In 1898, he traveled to the Dominican Republic, where he was appointed Director of Central College and Inspector General of Public Education.
Eugenio Maria De Hostos, educator, author and political activist, died in 1903 in the Dominican Republic. Accordingly, in memory of him, this legislation adds his name to the entire length of East 149th Street, in the Bronx.
I will first turn to the sponsor of the bill, and then to any other elected official wishing to speak. Now I turn to the general audience. Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in opposition? Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in support? There being no one else to be heard, and for the reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.
The Roman Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Czestochowa was established in 1896 to minister to the recently arrived Polish immigrants in Brooklyn. The parish was founded by the late Monsignor Boleslaus Puchalski, then a newly-ordained priest, who continued to serve as its pastor for fifty years. Over the parish's 100 year history, the gothic-style church building, rectory, school and convent were built. The school and convent are staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Together, the parish and school continue to serve Brooklyn's Polish-American community.
In celebration of the parish's 100th anniversary and its continued service to the community, this legislation adds the name "Our Lady of Czestochowa Place" to 24th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues.
I will first turn to the sponsor of the bill, and then to any other elected official wishing to speak. Now I turn to the general audience. Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in opposition? Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in support? There being no one else to be heard, and for the reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.
According to the Brazilian American Cultural Center, there are approximately half a million Brazilian immigrants living in the United States of which 80,000 to 100,000 live in the New York metropolitan area.
Over the past fifty years, West 46th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue has become one of the centers of Brazilian life in New York City. Most of the businesses are owned by Brazilians and include restaurants, travel agencies, electronics stores, Banco de Brasil, the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, Safra Bank, the Brazilian-American Cultural Center and the offices of the newspaper "The Brasilians," in addition to the Brazilian Government Trade Bureau. As a traditional gathering place for the Brazilian community, West 46th Street is also the site of social and cultural events. In fact, a Brazilian Independence Day celebration is held there every September.
As New York's Brazilian-American community continues to grow and prosper, it is fitting that this legislation add the name "Little Brazil Street" to West 46th Street between 5th Avenue and Broadway.
I will first turn to the sponsor of the bill, and then to any other elected official wishing to speak. Now I turn to the general audience. Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in opposition? Is there anyone in the general audience to be heard in support? There being no one else to be heard, and for the reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.