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HUSTONVILLE — An ordinance that has support from city council members would require people doing business in Hustonville to pay a flat-rate business license fee annually.
Council members agreed Tuesday night that they would like to see a $25 annual fee implemented across the board for anyone conducting business inside the city limits, including brick-and-mortar locations; vendors who stock machines or stores; and workers who make house calls, such as plumbers.
Mayor David Peyton said the city could use the revenue to help it stay afloat financially.
"I think we need to do something. There's three cities in Lincoln County; two of them have business licenses," he said, referring to Crab Orchard's $35 and Stanford's $50 annual fees. "For a business that operates here in town, $25 is less than 50 cents a week."
Multiple council members said they had spoken with business owners in the city and many were OK with a business license fee, as long as it was a flat rate for all businesses.
Hustonville technically still has a decades-old business license ordinance on the books, which charges different rates depending on the type of business.
Peyton unearthed the ordinance last year and figured out the city hadn't been enforcing it since 1998.
No action was taken to enact the new ordinance Tuesday. Council members could approve the first reading at their April 2 meeting.
In other Hustonville City Council news, the council approved hiring volunteer firefighter Sean Reardon as Assistant Fire Chief.
Reardon, who has been a firefighter with Hustonville for about five years, will be paid $75 per month. Councilman Jimmy Lane, who serves as Hustonville's fire chief, abstained from the vote.