Polson city manager discusses proposed business license
Taylor Davison
The Polson business license proposal still has steps to go through before being presented to the city commission. Public comment and input is invited.
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POLSON — Rumors have been spreading through Polson about a new fee soon to be passed on to local businesses. The reality of the proposal, as explained by Polson City Manager Ed Meece, is less far-reaching than some businesses fear.
Proposed by the city’s executive branch, the primary staff for this project has been Meece and deputy fire chief Kevin Straub, with some research assistance from management intern Tyler Baker and finance director Cindy Dooley. If passed, the business license would be mandatory to operate a business within Polson. However, the license fees, Meece stressed, would not be without purpose.
According to Meece, the primary purpose of the new fee is to offset the cost of conducting Fire and Life Safety inspections. As part of the business license program, each licensee would receive regular inspections at their place of business that is open to the public, or areas in which employees work.
Presently, fire inspections are primarily performed by Polson Fire Chief Clint Cottle and Deputy Chief Straub, along with occasional volunteer fire assistance. However, according to Meece, as Straub is part time it limits the number of inspections that can be done on a regular basis. The license fee would help cover some of the cost of expanding the deputy chief’s position to full time.
“We’re trying to make it as practical as possible,” Meece said. “It’s about a public service. There is a direct link between what you are paying and the service that you’re receiving. And there’s a direct link between how much you’re paying and how much service is required.”
The fee structure will be based on the square footage of the business, as the more square footage there is to inspect, the more work there is to be done. Different square footages will be placed on a different grade, and each grade will receive a specific fee to keep it a flat number.
The square footages for these grades have not yet been determined, but an example would be 1000-1500 square feet on one level, 1600-2000 on the next, and so on until a certain cap is reached.
While some have expressed concern that problems found in their old buildings will cause their businesses to be shut down, Meece was reassuring. “This is not about shutting people down, that’s really the last resort of a program like this. What we want to do is work with people and help them identify where problems exist, and then work with them to solve those problems… Not only are we trying to identify these problems, but we’re also trying to bring some resources to the table to help the property owner resolve the issue as well.”
The city of Polson has a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district that can provide grants to businesses within its boundaries, which include Main Street, to assist with code updates. Any business within the district, depending on what’s found in need of remedying during inspection, could get significant financial support from the TIF program to help complete the project. Meece stated the City intends to work with businesses in addressing situations in the most timely and cost-effective manner possible.
The inspections that would be held at businesses would not address aesthetics or accessibility, only matters of safety. Inspectors would only be looking for risks of fire and risks to life when passing through a business.
The inspections, Meece went on, would not necessarily even be annual. The word “regular” was selected as the administration felt it would make more sense to be able to tailor the inspection schedule on a case-by-case basis. Businesses without a significant storage of hazardous materials or locations without significant history of fire incidents would be subject to less frequent inspection. Inspectors would still need to return on a regular basis, approximately every 18 months, to make sure there aren’t preventable hazards present.
“You’re only doing these things so the building is safe,” Meece stressed. “The bottom line is a safe environment for our citizens, our visitors, our employees, and our emergency responders.”
The information gathered in inspection, such as where flammable materials are stored in a building as well as a layout of the floorplan, can help emergency responders figure out how best to approach a fire. Knowing these things as they respond to a scene rather than finding out once inside helps emergency responders be sure they can tackle the emergency in the safest way possible for all parties.
The newly proposed business license is still in development stages. A first draft has been put forth for input and discussion. A second draft that takes public comment into account is still in the works. The first draft of the proposal can be viewed at www.cityofpolson.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community/page/4514/12.22.21draft_business_license_1.pdf.
Once the second draft is completed, it will be presented in another meeting for further public input. After the executive branch feels they have gathered enough information, they will then walk the proposed license to the city commission for discussion, if not a vote. That will also be a public meeting, allowing for further questions and community discussion before anything is ratified. City commission meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Agendas for these meetings can be viewed online at cityofpolson.com.
The City is striving to handle the development phase of this proposal with as much public involvement as possible, Meece said. Though a date for the next meeting about the newly proposed license hasn’t been set, it is estimated for the last week of March. One week’s notice of the meeting will be provided via the City’s website and issued press releases. Local businesses will be also be contacted directly via email, once the date is set.
