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There are times when we don’t envy local legislators for the tough choices they must make, but checking the box alongside one big item on the City Council’s to-do list ought to be pretty easy: Make the city’s open restaurants program permanent, preserving the best parts of the pandemic emergency program while correcting missteps.

In his State of the City speech, Mayor Adams rightly highlighted the priority, calling the innovation “a massive success that saved so many of our restaurants, bars and cafes” — and urging Council members “come together and figure out how New Yorkers can enjoy outdoor dining with a permanent version that works for business and residents.”

Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who’s working with Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez to refine a bill she sponsored last year, have plenty of common ground. They appear to agree that the new structures should be safe; that they should be accessible to all; that they shouldn’t hinder trash pickup or storm-water flow or emergency vehicle access; and that they should be much more attractive than the often ramshackle sheds that cropped up during COVID. They agree that there ought to be a modest fee for use of public space, a fairly simple approval process and effective oversight. And they agree that there ought to be a combination of sidewalk cafes and space in the roadbed.

One outstanding question is whether street space should be claimed year-round or just on a seasonal basis. (We lean toward allowing 12-month setups.) Current oversight is split between the Department of Transportation (streets) and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (sidewalks). Let DOT do it all.

Nor need the rules be rigidly one-size-fits-all. An eatery in an otherwise sleepy slice of Southeast Queens is different from one on a hopping corner of the West Village. Local communities ought to have a role, at least in an advisory capacity, in shaping what works for them.

Throughout the five boroughs, outdoor dining has enhanced street life, which is the city’s defining asset. Keep it going.