Debra Mulé: Nassau must stop nickel-and-diming small businesses

Small businesses are the heartbeat of Nassau County. They are the dry-cleaner that remembers your name, the locksmith who answers when a family is locked out, the dog groomer trusted with a beloved pet, the fitness studio where neighbors become friends, and the home-service providers who keep our communities running.

So why is the county treating them like a revenue stream to be squeezed?

For too many entrepreneurs, opening or operating a small business here means dealing with local licensing fees that are far higher than what similar businesses pay in nearby counties. A legislative investigation revealed that Nassau County small businesses pay three to five times more for an annual license than comparable businesses in neighboring jurisdictions.

That’s not pro-business, or pro-growth. It is a competitive disadvantage built into county law.

That’s why Democrats have introduced legislation to slash annual licensing fees for many categories of small businesses. Those fees currently reach as high as $1,300 per business. That can mean the difference between buying new equipment, hiring another employee, paying a utility bill and simply making it through another month.

The goal of this proposal is simple: to bring Nassau County’s fees more in line with nearby counties and stop punishing local entrepreneurs for choosing to operate here.

The proposal comes at a time when Nassau’s small businesses need help the most. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Nassau is home to more than 200,000 small businesses. They make up more than 99 percent of all businesses in the county, and employ the majority of Nassau’s workforce.

In other words, this isn’t a side issue. This is Nassau County’s economy. When small businesses are healthy, our downtowns are stronger. More residents are employed. More families are supported. More dollars stay local. But when government keeps piling costs on already strained businesses, it weakens the very foundation of our communities.

Small businesses already face rising rents, higher insurance costs, credit card fees, utility bills, supply costs, labor challenges, and the everyday uncertainty that comes with trying to keep a storefront open. Every dollar matters. Every fee matters. Every avoidable cost matters.

Cutting these fees wouldn’t solve every challenge facing small businesses, but it would provide meaningful relief. It would send a message that Nassau County wants to be a partner, not an obstacle. It would tell entrepreneurs: We want you here, we value you, and we aren’t going to punish you for investing in our communities.

This is especially important for first-time business owners, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses and family-run startups.

When the New York Post asked about the bill last year, County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he would be “happy to cut the fees.” If that was true then, it should be even more true now, after another year of inflation due in large part to President Trump’s crippling tariffs and his war in Iran, which are leading directly to rising costs that have made it harder for small businesses to survive.

Small businesses should not have to wait another year while a good proposal collects dust. They should not be used as bargaining chips in a political back-and-forth. And they should not be told that relief is welcome in theory while nothing is actually done to deliver it.

If the county executive supports cutting these fees, he should support allowing the legislation to come to a vote. If his administration has concerns about the budget impact, let us have that discussion in public, with real numbers, real alternatives and real accountability.

But doing nothing is not leadership. Silence is not a small-business policy. Support can’t just be something we say at ribbon cuttings. It has to show up in the laws we pass, the fees we charge and the choices we make when nobody is holding oversized scissors for a photo op.

Small-business owners don’t need more slogans. They need relief. Nassau should be competing to attract entrepreneurs, not pricing them out. We should be making it easier to launch a dream here, not harder.

The legislation is there. The need is clear. Even the county executive has said he likes the idea. Now it’s time to stop talking, stop stalling and bring this bill to a vote. Small businesses have waited long enough.

Debra Mulé represents Nassau County’s 6th Legislative District.