Blue Ridge City Council agreed to waive late fees associated with delinquent business licenses from 2017 and agreed to hold two council meetings a month during a special called meeting Tuesday, October 20.
After hearing a complaint from citizen Kevin Panter, during a prior workshop, regarding the late fee for not paying his 2017 business license, Councilwoman Robbie Cornelius suggested that the city waive all late fees associated with delinquent business licenses.
“If you get a bill in here for 2020 and they’ve got a ‘19 due, our system should recognize that, and we should collect,” Cornelius said.
Councilman Mike Panter noted that 2017 was their “biggest deficiency” in business licenses.
“I think we’ve added a module to it (their billing software) where it will actually carry it forward,” Mayor Donna Whitener said indicating that customers will no longer be able to pay a current bill if anything is owned from a prior year.
She later suggested that there may have been an issue at the post office with the bills not going out.
Councilman Nathan Fitts asked why the delinquent licenses were never followed up on to which no answer was provided.
“If they pay it, then fine, but if they’re raising cane and giving them a hard time, then, you know, I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Cornelius said.
With a motion by Haight, the council agreed to conduct two meetings a month in order to stay up to date on business.
The council will now meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m.
“We have agenda items that we vote on, and then we’ll have discussion items,” Haight said. “These discussion items you’ll probably roll over. ... So you’re not repeating yourself like we’re doing tonight.”
In order to better monitor what is being spent, Fitts proposed that all written checks be sent to the council for review before signing and mailing them out.
Checks are typically written Wednesdays, and all council members are to respond to Office Manager Barbie Gerald and Finance Director Alicia Stewart by Thursday at the close of business with any inquires.