The Independence City Council discussed a resolution directing the city manager to verify business licenses and compliance for proposed economic development incentive districts and agreed by consensus to amend the draft so the applicant must verify licenses before the item advances to council.

The item matters because community improvement districts and similar incentive packages channel public revenue and rely on accurate information about participating businesses; council members said requiring verification at the application stage would protect the city’s tax base and ensure fairness for compliant businesses.

Council Member Stewart, sponsor of the item, said the change is straightforward and meant to prevent unlicensed businesses from being included in incentive districts. "So, I just, had the city manager come up with this resolution that would require them to be checked before they would proceed to council. And that's all it is," Stewart said.

City staff described two implementation options: have applicants (for example, a developer seeking a community improvement district designation) certify they checked the business‑license status for all businesses in the proposed district, or have staff perform verification as part of the review. The City Manager recommended placing the onus on the applicant and noted staff could assist in roughly 10 percent of cases where website information lags. "The website lags real time a little bit ... it's not full proof to look at the website always, but it gives you a pretty good sense and semblance of that current status," the City Manager said.

During public comment, Becky Hague said she had checked one block of Nolan Road and found roughly half the properties lacked current licenses on the city website. "There are 19 businesses and or properties ... 10 of them are not licensed," Hague said, and urged that landlords as well as businesses be checked. Hague also argued that if the city is giving districts a portion of sales tax revenue, "they need to pay their licenses."

Council members clarified the scope: the verification requirement would apply before the council considers an applicant’s proposal, not as ongoing compliance checks after a district is established. The City Manager confirmed that businesses with unpaid past license fees must satisfy arrears before the city will issue a license: "We ... have to bring them into compliance. So any funds that they are in arrears have to be satisfied before they'll be issued that business license."

Council and staff agreed, by consensus, to direct staff to draft amended resolution language placing responsibility on the applicant to verify current business licenses and to return the amended resolution to a future meeting for formal action.

The amendment will be prepared with Council Member Stewart’s approval and presented to the council for formal consideration; no final vote on the underlying resolution was recorded at the meeting.