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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-07-21; City Council; 6684; Constitutional apportionment section. : . CITY OF CARLSBAD AGENDA BILL NO. DATE: July 21, 1981 DEPARTMENT: Fi nance Subject: Constitutional Apportionment Section for the Business License Ordinance Statement of the Matter According to the City Attorney, the Carlsbad Municipal Code section pertaining to business licenses must be ammended to bring this section into compliance with the state and federal constitutional orovisions. This ammendment to the code primarily addresses the question of interstate commerce. License fees may not be assessed by the city that pose an undue burden upon inter- state commerce. If a business feels that an undue burden exists, the City Council may be asked to adjust the license fee. Under these rules, a business may request that the city only assess- license fees based upon business generated within Carlsbad, This apnortionment of business activity between Carlsbad and non-Carlsbad sources satifies the constitutional requirements. A business that feels that the city's business license fee causes an undue burden must bring this to the attention of the council within six months by requesting a recomputetion of the license fee. The burden of nroving an undue burden lies with the business questioning the fee. The council's decision will be final. Fiscal Impact This revision to the code could slightly reduce business revenues by allowing some reductions in the computation of license fees. The exact amount of this "reduction is not known; however, it should not be significant. Exhibits Memo from City Attorney dated 6/16/81. Ordinance No. ^/7/£jff ammending Title 5, Chapter 5.04 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code, COUNCIL ACTION: 7-21-81 Council introduced Ordinance No. 6063 APPROVED DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: MEMORANDUM June 16, 1981 Assistant City Manager — Administrative Affairs City Attorney CONSTITUTIONAL APPORTIONMENT SECTION FOR THE BUSINESS LICENSE ORDINANCE As we recently discussed, the City's business license ordinance is defective because it does not contain a constitutional apportionment provision as required by federal and state constitutions. The attached ordinance will bring the Carlsbad business license ordinance into compliance with the constitutional provisions. The ordinance provides that the City Council shall make the determination regarding the apportionment of the tax and provides that the burden of proving the undue burden is on the applicant. Other amendments to the business license ordinance may be desirable; however, you decided to delay those amendments. This ordinance should be placed on the Council agenda as soon as possible. VINC x BiONDO, JR., City Attorney DANIEL S . HENTSCHKE, 'Assistant City Attorney DSH/mla Attachment cc:Finance Director License Clerk - • . 0 (/) 00 -: OC ME < en F. BIONDO. J- CITY OF C;LM AVENUE:ALIFORNIAfew go'1115 n: o f 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 ORDINANCE NO. 6063 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING TITLE 5, CHAPTER 5.04 OF THE CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL CODE BY THE ADDITION OF SECTION 5.04.085 RELATING TO CONSTITUTIONAL APPORTIONMENT OF BUSINESS LICENSE TAXES. The City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California does ordain as follows: SECTION 1: That Title 5, Chapter 5.04 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code is amended by the addition of Section 5.04.085 to read as follows: '5.04.085 Constitutional apportionment. None of the license tax as provided for by Chapters 5.04 and 5.08 shall be so applied as to occasion an undue burden upon interstate commerce or be violative of the equal protection and due process clauses of the Constitutions of the United States and the State of 'California. In any case where a license tax is believed by licensee or applicant for a license to place an undue burden upon interstate commerce or to be violative of such constitutional clauses, the licensee or applicant may apply to the City Council for an adjustment of the tax. Such application may be made before, at, or within six months after payment of the prescribed license tax. The burden of proving an undue burden upon interstate commerce or a violation of the equal protection or due process clauses of the Constitutions of the United States and the State of California shall be upon the applicant. The decision of the City Council shall be final." EFFECTIVE DATE: This ordinance shall be effective thirty days after its adoption, and the City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this ordinance and cause it to be published at least once in the Carlsbad Journal within fifteen days after its adoption. INTRODUCED AND FIRST READ at a regular meeting of the Carlsbad City Council held on the 21st day of July , 1981, and thereafter CD Cf> E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 I 13 8 ui < 14Di ^l§<§ 15 5 ^ ^P o Q m u 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of said City Council held on the _4th___day of August , 1981, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Council Members Casler, Anear, Lewis and Kulchin NOES: None ABSENT: Council Member Packard / RONALD C./PACKARD, Mayor MARY H. CASLER, Vice-Mayor ATTEST: ALETHA L. RAUTENKRANZ, City Clerk (SEAL) -2-