The City of Blue Ridge met Tuesday, October 6, to discuss business during a lengthy workshop.
Councilman Mike Panter brought up the fact that Sisson Company has been using the Farmer’s Market to store their supplies at no cost.
Although the city does not use the area, Panter said he has plans for it, and does not mind having it leased out on a monthly basis in the meantime.
“We should not allow anybody to be using the Farmer’s Market unless we have a lease and unless we’re getting revenue from that,” he said.
Councilman Nathan Fitts said he was not aware the city had even given the company permission to use the area.
Mayor Donna Whitener added that UPS also uses the facility.
Fitts asked who gave the company permission to use the market.
After going back and forth with Whitener, and after she claimed she didn’t know, Whitener confessed to giving Sisson Company permission.
She added that Councilwoman Robbie Cornelius has introduced the idea of leasing the market in meetings past and Sisson Company has offered to pay before, but nothing was ever made official.
Panter said he plans to make the motion next week to begin leasing the Farmer’s Market out to which Councilwoman Rhonda Haight said they would have to consult with City Attorney James Balli on the legalities of leasing city property.
Native Kevin Panter was allowed time to speak on an issue he has with the Occupational Tax Certificate.
Stressing that he has been a loyal tax payer to the city for several years, Kevin explained that he received a delinquent tax notice for not paying 2017’s business license.
He said that he has no problem paying for the license, but feels it is unfair to be penalized when he never received a notice, until recently, and was allowed to pay 2018’s license without a word on 2017’s.
“To my knowledge this was the first time I ever received a city business tax for 2017 because if I had gotten one, we would’ve paid it in 2017 like we have all the others,” Kevin said.
He added that if the water bill isn’t paid, they’ll roll it over to the next month, threaten if it isn’t paid, then cut it off.
“What I do have a problem with is paying for a penalty that I’ve been assessed when I don’t think it was my error,” he said. “What I’m asking is the City of Blue Ridge to go back on those accounts (delinquent taxpayers) because I do think, obviously you recognize it that you’ve got a billing problem within your own system, that you waive those penalties that you’ve incurred on those citizens.”
Fi. Fa.’s will be issued on all delinquent Occupational Tax bills this week, Assistant City Clerk Christina Mortimer said.
Joe Webb, on behalf of the Blue Ridge Community Theater, asked to have their 2021 alcohol permit waived.
Webb told the council that the theater has ceased alcohol sales, and all concession sales, as a result of COVID-19 and does not plan to resume them until a vaccine has been created.
With that, he added that if they do not apply for a alcohol license for 2021, which they do not wish to do, they will have to re-apply and pay an additional $250 fee, on top of the licenses fee, when they resume sales again.
“We’ve literally only been able to use our alcohol permit 10 days this year,” he said. “We will not be able to use it for the rest of the year simply because of the constraints.”
Panter said, “One of the things I was gonna make sure you’re aware of, we’ve already cut your tax in half, and then we voted as a council to take anybody with a beer and wine license and cut that another third for next year.”
Fitts also chimed in saying he was concerned about making an exception for the theater, then setting a precedence.
Whitener suggested that Webb ask a council member to have it added to the next council meeting’s agenda.