City hall introduced a bylaw Tuesday to reduce red-tape for businesses that operate over multiple jurisdictions.

The inter-municipal business licensing bylaw will mean operators can get one piece of paper to operate in nine Fraser Valley communities.

The communities include: Surrey, Langley (city and township), Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope.

The bylaw was created in collaboration with the small business branch of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and the participating municipalities.

Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce executive director Patti MacAhonic asked council back in February to work with the other Fraser Valley governments on the inter-municipal business licence.

Greater Vancouver and the Okanagan already have blanket business licences.

MacAhonic showed council a promotional video by the BC Chamber of Commerce that claimed the business licence resulted in increased revenue for every one of the Okanagan communities in the year following its implementation.

Some communities sold fewer licences, but the difference was made up by the $150 cost of the intermunicipal licence.

The fee schedule in the bylaw council introduced Tuesday would see Chilliwack receive 6.21 per cent of the revenue, which compares to 11.53 per cent for Abbotsford, 32.98 per cent for Surrey and, at the low end, 0.87 per cent for Hope.

"It allows businesses-for example, contractors or caterers-to operate across participating municipalities," MacAhonic said in February. "It streamlines and simplifies the licensing process, reducing costs and making it easier to do business in the region and the province."

phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com