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Council grants some business‑license penalty waivers, denies repeat offender request
Summary
Three Homewood business owners asked the Finance Committee May 19 to waive late business‑license penalties; the council approved relief in two cases and denied relief to a repeat delinquent account.
Three business owners asked the Homewood City Finance Committee May 19 to waive late‑payment penalties on city business licenses.
A business owner who said she had been in rehabilitation for three years asked the committee to waive accumulated penalties that included multiple years of unpaid license fees, penalties and interest. Staff described total penalties of $862.11 and interest of about $1,028.21 in that case and said the city is not able to waive interest in all circumstances because interest is assessed under statute. Councilors discussed precedent and the multisession nature of the delinquency; a motion that included waiving penalties (with payment schedules for outstanding license amounts) passed on a 3–1 vote. The record shows staff advised interest is governed by statute and that penalties and interest are calculated separately.
In a second case, Amy, the owner of Najee's Pita Gourmet operating under the name Constantine International Foods, said ownership changed in 2024, she missed the notice during a software conversion, and has since paid the license fee. She asked the committee to forgive the single‑year penalty of $4,278.90. Council voted to waive that penalty; the owner had already paid the license fee before the vote. The motion passed 4–0.
The third request, from a business listed as Revachons, asked for penalty relief after repeated late filings. Staff said the taxpayer cited an office manager's family death as the reason and told council the business had been late last year as well. Several councilors expressed reluctance to establish a broad precedent for multiple repeat waivers and said the council could not fully hear the taxpayer's representative at the meeting. A motion to waive the penalties failed; the council did not forgive those fees.
Councilors and staff discussed the city’s notification process: staff sends annual license notices in December, businesses become delinquent after March 1, and the city issues delinquent notices followed by outreach. Staff said the council can exercise discretion on penalties but that statutory rules govern interest application.
