The discussion about what form a possible business license requirement by the city would take continued Tuesday, with several voices chiming in on the process.

"We didn't realize when we started this process how big it was going to be," committee Chairperson Janet Trethewey said after the meeting.

One business owner in attendance said that he already pays the state and the city for a liquor license and questioned the necessity of another form and another fee.

He said he is not adverse to the fee, but wanted the committee to be aware of that.  If businesses will benefit from the fee, that would be a good thing because without any benefit it would just be one more form and fee.

Committee member Pam Hillery suggested using the number of employees per business as a scale to create a graded fee scale, with larger employers paying more of a fee.

"I'm trying to make it look more fair to the person on the low end of the scale," she said.

The purpose of the license is not to raise revenue, but rather to aid in the zoning process and helping with orderly growth of the city in the future, Trethewey said.

"It was more that we gather that information (about businesses)," Mayor Tim Solomon said, suggesting that a flat fee of $25 be instituted annually.

Another issue raised was whether non-profit entities should al so be required to register.

Some cities waive the fee for non-prof i ts, but regardless of that, non-profit registrat ions would be important for the city to have when reviewing zoning, committee member Andrew Brekke said.

How to handle multiple businesses under the same corporation was another issue raised during the meeting.

Brekke said that some cities offer a reduced rate for multiple businesses, but knowing what each business offers is important when looking at zoning.

As long as the intent of the business permit remains as a means to gather information for zoning and growth, Havre Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Debbie Vandeberg said she thinks that most businesses will be willing to consider it.  She is sending a survey to area businesses asking them what they think about a business license, she added.

"We need to make businesses agree with us and partner with us," Brekke said, adding that some sort of incentive should be given to businesses so That they see a return on the fee they will pay for the license.

"Definitely we want it to be a carrot instead of a stick," Trethewey said.

One way the city could help registered businesses is to have an online directory for anyone looking for services, she said.

"Anything that we can do to help support those businesses," she said.

At the same time, penalties will be applied to businesses that don't abide by a licensing ordinance.

"If they refuse to get a license, eventually they're going to get caught," Trethewey said.

Planning and Development Committee members brought the idea of a business license before the full Havre City Council in May, where it met with general approval.  After reviewing several ci t ies ' licenses, committee members agreed that Libby's is the most comprehensive, yet concise, and to follow its general outl ine, retrof i t t ing i t to f i t Havre's need.

The issue of business permits was raised when the committee began to discuss zoning and how to code recently annexed properties, as well as areas in which the general use has changed.  Members agreed that it was difficult to zone when they had little idea of what type and how many businesses are located in the city boundaries.

The city has dropped the ball on updating zoning codes in the past, Trethewey said, and now the city needs to make sure that some of the issues currently being experienced are fixed and that future issues are anticipated.

The committee meets again Tuesday, June 15, at 5:15 p.m. in City Hall to further discuss a business permit and also to discuss zoning codes.