Weirton discusses business license update and planning fees | News, sports, jobs
MAKING SUGGESTIONS – District 4 Councilman George Ash presents some possible examples of business license fees, used in other West Virginia cities, during a work session Thursday night. The City Council is discussing the possibility of updating Weirton’s business license fees, as well as those assessed for planning reviews. -Craig Howell
WEIRTON — The Weirton Council is studying the possibility of updating the town’s business license fees, as well as those assessed as part of planning reviews for development projects in the town.
Council members met in a work session Thursday for preliminary discussions on the proposals.
“Some of them haven’t been looked at or reviewed or anything since 1969,” said District 4 Councilman George Ash.
Mikeal Maguschak, who oversees the city’s business license program, provided the council with information about the city’s current business license fee structure, as well as options from other cities and recommendations on some changes.
“There are a lot of different options,” he said, suggesting that one possibility is to establish a general rate for most businesses, with another rate for those regulated by the state.
He also pointed out some license fees for businesses that were obsolete, or those that could be restrictive, making special mention of vending machine licenses that charged 1 cent or 5 cents, and a $750 license fee for psychics.
Maguschak also explained that any suggested changes would need to be reviewed by City Attorney Vince Gurrera.
City Manager Mike Adams noted that there are limitations under Section 11-12-4 of the state code on the amount of these license fees, saying they cannot be higher than the state fees. Gurrera said the target would be the cost of state fees as of July 1, 1970, and said it’s possible some of the municipal fees are already at their maximum levels.
“We just need to figure out what those rates were,” Gurrera said.
District 7 Councilman Terry Weigel said that while he agreed there is a need to simplify and update the fee structure, he would be concerned about the possibility of losing revenue as a result of the changes.
“Are we going to make more money or are we going to lose more money?” Weigel asked.
Maguschak said everything could be determined as part of the review, while Ash recommended the legislation be prepared for the council meeting in June. If something is approved, it won’t take effect until January 2025.
Possible changes to the fee charged for planning reviews were also discussed. Currently, the fee is based on the cost of the project and incorporated into licensing fees.
One possible option, as discussed, would be to assess the fee based on the square footage of the structure.
Additional discussions may be held in the future.
