NEW YORK CITY — Restaurant owners facing steep health and safety fines could soon get some relief, thanks to a plan City Council Speaker Christine Quinn unveiled on Monday.
The mayoral hopeful and other City Council members announced legislation that would cut fines issued to restaurant owners under the Health Department's restaurant grading system by about 15 percent, reducing the revenue the city receives in the name of protecting small businesses.
“We're taking steps to ensure that the restaurant inspection process is fair,” Quinn said in a statement, following a press conference at Jerry's Cafe on Chambers Street.
"These reforms will improve the lives of struggling restaurant owners, the workers they employ and the families they support, while preserving a system that protects the safety of New Yorkers.”
Proposed changes include reducing fines for non-food-related violations, as well as those based on a restaurant’s physical layout. They would also allow restaurant owners relief from fines if they made improvements and raised their grades to A's after their initial inspections.
Quinn’s legislative package would also establish a dedicated office to receive feedback about the grading system and its inspectors.
The proposal requires City Council approval to move forward.
