Council stalls vote on ordinance that would raise home‑builder business license fees

An ordinance to amend the city’s license tax classification drew extended debate after council members said they saw its proposed fee schedule for the first time on the meeting agenda and asked for additional review.

Council President (name not specified) noted the item appeared on the 2025 budget and that the finance department had not fully circulated the proposed change. Councilmember Jim Wright and others pointed out that the proposal would raise some home‑builder license fees from figures like $1,100 to $11,000 under the current schedule on the agenda, a jump that prompted concern about the sudden increase and whether the council had time to review it.

“...this is the first we found out about this,” the council president said, and Mitchell (Councilmember Mitchell) and Calhoun (Councilmember Calhoun) also said they had not been notified before the agenda posting. Some councilmembers urged postponing action so the council could evaluate how the change would affect the budget and economic-development incentives. One councilmember asked, “Can we carry this over and review it together?” several times, and another concluded, “I don't think it's gonna be voted on tonight.”

Speakers discussed that the license charge for home builders effectively stacks with permitting fees for each unit, and that the state is reviewing whether to restrict such practices. Supporters of the budget noted that even an $11,000 fee represents a small fraction of firms generating multi‑million dollars in revenue, while opponents argued the change could make Montgomery’s home‑builder license rates higher than neighboring cities and affect development incentives.

The meeting transcript records discussion and a request to delay action; no formal vote or final adoption of the ordinance is recorded in the provided transcript.