Council Speaker Julie Menin touted the City Council’s push to make outdoor dining a year-round option Thursday, saying a package of legislation expected to pass would support small businesses while addressing concerns about sanitation, parking and quality of life.

During an appearance on “Mornings On 1,” Menin said the council took community concerns into consideration when restructuring the hours for the outdoor dining program.

“We wanted to make outdoor dining year-round, so we’re supporting restaurants and small businesses,” she said. “We also changed the hours of outdoor dining from 12 [a.m.] to end at 11 [p.m.] to deal with neighborhood issues.”

One bill in the package would require restaurants to ensure their outdoor setups are sanitary and in good condition. Businesses who fail to maintain the structures would be subject to civil penalties.

“We did hear complaints about rats [and] sanitation issues,” Menin said. “So now businesses will get fined if they do not keep these structures clean, free of rats, free of debris and trash.”

Menin, a former restaurant owner, said year-round outdoor dining can be an important source of revenue for small businesses, while acknowledging that the program has generated complaints from residents.

“In terms of outdoor dining, this is a lifeline for these restaurants and small businesses,” she said. “Having outdoor dining year-round, I think, is really important to support those small businesses, and also to support communities and neighborhoods.”

“But we do understand there are quality-of-life issues, and that’s again, why we have these bills that really crack down on enforcement, penalties, making sure that these sanitation and quality-of-life issues are truly addressed,” she added.

The package would also allow businesses to pay outdoor dining permit fees in quarterly installments.

“We’re trying to reduce the burdens on small businesses,” Menin explained. “So I think this package of bills is great, because it does extend outdoor dining, it makes it year-round, and it addresses the real quality-of-life issues that we heard about outdoor dining.”

Tap the video player above to watch the interview.