Editorial: The Planning and Zoning Committee gets it

We applaud Havre's Planning and Zoning Committee for continuing to pursue an ordinance requiring city businesses to register with the city. It is especially noteworthy that councilpersons' Janet Trethewey, Pam Hillery and Andrew Brekke understand the importance and need for such an ordinance in spite of the lack of support from Mayor Tim Solomon.

We encourage the committee to move forward with the ordinance and abandon the farfetched plan of voluntary registration. What the committee seeks and requires of businesses operating within the City of Havre is not unreasonable.

The Havre Daily News checked with five municipalities throughout the state — Miles City, Belgrade, Manhattan, Lewistown, and Livingston — all smaller in population than Havre, and every one of those municipalities required businesses to have a license to operate within their city limits. Their fees ranged from $50 to $80 per year and one municipality required additional licenses for pawnbrokers and junk dealers, as well as licenses for all coin-operated machines such as juke boxes.

The current proposal before the committee would have no cost associated with registering with the city, at least for the first year.

This is not an issue of enacting an ordinance in an effort to thwart local business. At issue is having the information that is necessary for the city to update its zoning map, as well as ensuring the safety of our children, preserving neighborhoods and property values, while requiring businesses to have locations that are safe and meet all city codes prior to opening to the public. The Havre Daily News registered with the city — it took less than two minutes to complete the paperwork. Businesses can register online by going to the city's website, http://www.ci.havre.mt.us.

Mayor Solomon expressed disappointment when committee members openly disagreed with his voluntary plan. However, city residents are entitled to transparency when it comes to governmental issues and that includes airing differing opinions. No matter how you sugar coat it, a bad plan is a bad plan. Mailing letters to businesses may have generated a few more business registrations, but when the city needs 100 percent compliance, anything less is useless.

An equally bad plan is forging ahead with updating the zoning map without the required information. Asking the committee and city staff to invest hundreds of hours on a plan that may not be accurate or may be vehemently debated when completed, seems ill-conceived. It makes more sense to get it right the first time and that starts with requiring a business to have a license to operate within the city of Havre.