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City staff says hookah lounge license not currently recommended; council asked for options
Summary
City staff briefed the council on repeated requests for a hookah-lounge business license, reporting other municipalities revoked such licenses after problems and offering to draft a resolution if the council wishes to consider it; staff also noted NAIC-code limitations for hemp sales.
City staff told the Alexander City council the city does not currently issue a specific business license for hookah lounges and that staff have researched how other municipalities have handled similar requests.
The staff presenter (identified in the transcript as Scott) said cities that tried licensing hookah lounges often revoked the licenses within two to three years because of problems that followed. He explained that changes to the business-license ordinance would take effect in the next licensing year and that some licensing classifications (NAIC codes) do not neatly cover hookah or hemp retail operations.
Staff offered to draft a resolution amending the business-license ordinance if council members request it; otherwise, the standard process would leave the current prohibition in place. Council members asked staff to compile examples from other cities, to confirm public-safety concerns raised by police and to provide a draft ordinance for council consideration if desired.
Why it matters: A licensing decision would affect local business regulation, enforcement workload for police and potential tax revenue, and it carries public-safety and youth-access considerations that staff said police had raised during internal discussions.
The council did not vote on any change in the session and staff said they would return with model ordinances and any recommended safeguards if the council wants to pursue the matter.
