Hortonville business owners oppose proposed annual business license; board hears alternatives

Business owners and residents urged the Village of Hortonville board at a regular meeting to reject a proposed annual business license and instead pursue incentives to promote local growth.

The concerns focused on cost and administrative burden for small firms and Main Street merchants. Mary Ellen Algrom, who identified herself as the owner of Algrom Explosives in the industrial park, told the board she opposed the license and worried about its scope. “Im Mary Ellen Algrom with Algrom Explosives, and we own a business in the industrial park. And Im here to oppose, also against, business license. I agree with everything that you just said that we should be offering incentives, particularly for the businesses on Main Street that are gonna be, harmed during the street closures and the construction. For us, we want to keep growing,” Algrom said.

Another business owner, Grant Crowell, who said he owns the Heritage Inn on Main Street, urged the village to seek funds through enforcement of traffic laws and other local revenue options rather than a license. He described repeated speeding and a recent crash near his business and suggested stricter enforcement and fines on Main Street as a funding source. “So we need to look at more towards collecting the funds that Hortonville needs to do what we wanna do, I think, more towards the police department and offering fines and strict fines, especially through Main Street,” Crowell said.

Board members and staff described the business-license item as a preliminary discussion item; no ordinance or fee schedule had been finalized and no letters or notice had been circulated. Village officials pointed to existing programs and other options already available to support businesses: the village offers low- or no-interest facade loans for downtown properties, and staff noted there has been past Main Street programming and possible external grant opportunities.

Speakers at the meeting also recommended low-cost or nonmonetary incentives, such as temporary waivers for small permits, sharing equipment (for example, scissor lifts) on a short-term insured loan, and better publicity for local firms. One resident urged the board to waive modest permits or initial fees for new local businesses and to highlight business listings in village mailings. Board members suggested that businesses could form a new business association or revive a previously active Downtown Business Association to handle promotion and coordination without a local licensing scheme.

No formal action was taken; the item remained a discussion topic. Board members said they would notify businesses and attempt outreach if the board chose to pursue the idea further, and staff said any future proposals would be shared with affected businesses before the board considered an ordinance or fee.

The business-license discussion was part of a broader meeting that included several resolutions and contract approvals reported elsewhere on the agenda.