THOUSAND OAKS : Nonprofit Groups’ License Fee Vetoed

A proposal to charge nonprofit groups a licensing fee was shot down by the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday, after residents complained that even a $10 charge would be onerous.

Mayor Elois Zeanah had originally asked the city staff to consider gathering information about what percentage of a nonprofit group’s budget goes to charitable services, and what percentage goes to cover administrative or fund-raising costs. Zeanah said she was especially concerned about solicitors who purport to raise money for charities but funnel less than 5% of all donations to a worthy cause.

In researching the issue, Finance Director Robert Biery came up with the proposal to charge nonprofit groups a $10 licensing fee. That fee, he said, would cover the city’s cost of tracking down information about each group’s budget and would make the information available to the public.

But the council voted unanimously to reject the plan.

Noting that nonprofit groups are already regulated by state and federal government, several council members said they thought residents could easily obtain information about suspicious charities without city help.

“It seems to me we don’t trust anyone anymore,” Councilman Alex Fiore said.

“Why is it our responsibility to regulate any nonprofit group? Why should we throw another level of government onto someone who’s making an effort to raise some money for a charitable cause?”