Council amends Gadsden's business license code; setup will be revisited every five years

Gadsden will no longer go decades between a revisiting of its business license code and schedules following action Tuesday by the City Council.

The council passed a measure that will reclassify certain license types (reflecting current businesses that might not have existed in the past), expand the tiers on certain business license schedules, modify the penalty for underpayment of business license fees or fraudulent license activity and adjust the duties of the city's revenue director.

Most significantly, it mandates that a revision of the code be presented to the council every five years, for it to sign off on or reject, and codifies the ability of businesses to pay their license fees online.

Adjustments last year to the code were the first in roughly 40 years, according to city officials, and Revenue Director Laura Copeland told council members during their pre-council work session that the goal is for that not to be repeated.

Mayor Craig Ford said the measure was a collaborative effort between him, Copeland, Finance Director Brandon Phillips and Chief of Staff Brett Johnson, with Copeland carrying the bulk of the load.

Copeland said it required intense research into the state code and into the business license setups of municipalities surrounding Gadsden that are roughly the same size and have a similar manufacturing base.

Ford and Copeland said any increases in license fees will be limited following last year's hike.

In other action, the council:

• Approved a consulting agreement with Koa Hills to help with the implementation of the Tyler ERP financial software system; Ford said he opted for that strategy rather than hiring an employee to handle what is a significant undertaking for the city, noting that Koa would “help get us over the hump” and “get the car ready for us to drive”;

• Rejected a bid for an irrigation pumping project at the Gadsden Sports Complex; city officials said the lone bid “came in high” and they plan to “start over”;

• Authorized the city's transit agency safety plan, required to stay in compliance with federal requirements since it receives federal funding for buses and trolleys;

• Approved a hay-cutting agreement at the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Council amends Gadsden's business license code; setup will be revisited every five years