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Council directs staff to draft clearer enforcement steps for overdue business licenses
Summary
Councilors asked city staff to formalize a timeline and procedure for enforcing overdue business licenses after members raised concerns about inconsistent compliance; staff and the city attorney outlined current letter-and-referral practice and agreed to draft ordinance language for a future meeting.
A council member raised concerns that some local businesses fail to obtain the city business license while others comply; the member asked when the city moves from notices to criminal penalties under state law.
Planning staff and the city attorney described the current practice: the office (Kim) sends an initial letter after the January 31 due date, staff follows up, and the city attorney may send additional letters before referring persistent noncompliance to the county attorney for misdemeanor prosecution under the relevant Kentucky Revised Statutes. The group said there is no codified step-by-step protocol and that staff often proceed on referrals they receive.
Councilors advocated a clearer written procedure with concrete time frames (for example, an initial letter, a second follow-up, then definite referral after X days) so enforcement is consistent and fair. The city attorney said she can draft ordinance language to add procedural timeframes and proposed bringing a first reading at the next meeting; staff concurred.
The council did not enact penalties at this meeting but directed staff to draft and return a proposed amendment that would specify post‑January 31 steps and referral timelines.
