Business license has a quick funeral in committee

Business license has a quick funeral in committee

Zach White

The business license was buried further by the city's Ordinance Committee at its meeting on Tuesday night.

The committee voted unanimously to "indefinitely postpone" the idea.

Committee Chair Andrew Brekke said that anyone could bring it back if they wanted, but this committee is done with it.

Committee member Pam Hillery grinned and added that the committee would wait until their terms are over.

Both Hillery's and Brekke's Havre City Council seats are up in this year's elections, though, as yet, neither has said if they are running again.

The city raised the issue because officials said it would allow them to keep track of businesses, especially new ones. They said it would allow them to track development, stop avoidable zoning issues and get economically organized, like most other cities of comparable size.

Many opponents of the license felt that it was an undue intrusion by the government into their lives, trying to take more money and information and give them more paperwork. They felt that the city already has enough information about most businesses, and the license wouldn't help them find the ones they don't know about. So they felt it would largely be useless.

The idea to require businesses to get a license from the city has showed up on council agendas for decades, with wave after wave of city interest breaking over the opposition of skeptical local business owners.

The latest attempt at the idea was tabled by the committee at the end of a two-hour meeting on Nov. 30, where about 15 business owners came to tell the committee what they thought of the idea.

They did not like it.

Being tabled for more than two months, Brekke said something needed to be done with it. So the committee voted as it did on Tuesday.

Committee member Janet Trethewey said that she thinks the license issue should cool off for at least a few months before touching on it again.

Mayor Tim Solomon said in December that he thought it would be best to wait at least an entire year.

Tuesday's committee meeting had a similar number of attendees as the one in November, though many were there to discuss other issues. The crowd watched quietly this time as the committee addressed the license and put it down.

The business license was buried further by the city's Ordinance Committee at its meeting on Tuesday night.

The committee voted unanimously to "indefinitely postpone" the idea.

Committee Chair Andrew Brekke said that anyone could bring it back if they wanted, but this committee is done with it.

Committee member Pam Hillery grinned and added that the committee would wait until their terms are over.

Both Hillery's and Brekke's Havre City Council seats are up in this year's elections, though, as yet, neither has said if they are running again.

The city raised the issue because officials said it would allow them to keep track of businesses, especially new ones. They said it would allow them to track development, stop avoidable zoning issues and get economically organized, like most other cities of comparable size.

Many opponents of the license felt that it was an undue intrusion by the government into their lives, trying to take more money and information and give them more paperwork. They felt that the city already has enough information about most businesses, and the license wouldn't help them find the ones they don't know about. So they felt it would largely be useless.

The idea to require businesses to get a license from the city has showed up on council agendas for decades, with wave after wave of city interest breaking over the opposition of skeptical local business owners.

The latest attempt at the idea was tabled by the committee at the end of a two-hour meeting on Nov. 30, where about 15 business owners came to tell the committee what they thought of the idea.

They did not like it.

Being tabled for more than two months, Brekke said something needed to be done with it. So the committee voted as it did on Tuesday.

Committee member Janet Trethewey said that she thinks the license issue should cool off for at least a few months before touching on it again.

Mayor Tim Solomon said in December that he thought it would be best to wait at least an entire year.

Tuesday's committee meeting had a similar number of attendees as the one in November, though many were there to discuss other issues. The crowd watched quietly this time as the committee addressed the license and put it down.