Business license vote delayed

Havre Ci t y Council had to delay its discussion and vote on impl ement ing business licenses due to a miscommunication, the c h a i r o f i t s Planning and De v e l o pme n t Committee said during the counc i l ’s me e t ing Monday.

Janet Trethewey said a glitch between city hall and the city attorney led to some problems getting the resolution on the agenda in time.

“It was due to some confusion about the numbering,” she said.

The committee intends to submit the resolution for the council’s next meeting Aug. 2, she said.

The business license recommended by the commission at its July 13 meeting would not require the businesses to pay a fee to apply for the license, Trethewey said in response to a question by council member Bob Kaftan.

The issue of the business license arose from a discussion on how the city could regulate the business of medical marijuana.  With no information available on who was a legal medical marijuana provider in Havre under an initiative passed by Montana voters in 2004, the council over several months discussed how to determine who was a legal provider.

While passing a moratorium on new providers until further investigation could be completed, council required all providers to register with the city.

During its discussion, members of the planning and development committee commented that the city had no detailed records of any businesses operating in the city.  That led to the proposal to start requiring businesses to apply for licenses, allowing the city to better plan for growth and make decisions on zoning.

Trethewey said that during its meeting next Tuesday at 5:15 p.m., the committee will look at growth plan models to consider how some areas of the city may need to change from zoning currently in place.