HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” The Huntington City Council will meet Monday and hear two ordinances that pertain to businesses within city limits.
The ordinances would keep the city in line with the statutory updates that have been made this summer, Ericka Hernandez, assistant city attorney, said during an administration and finance meeting earlier this month.
One of the ordinances pertains to the business license tax and the business occupancy tax. The ordinance does not require a business license for independent contractors or sole proprietors who neither have a brick or mortar nor do they gross $2,500 or more per year.
The ordinance would also update B&O exemptions adding gross income derived from advertising service rendered in the business of radio and television broadcasting, gross income of a nonprofit homeownersÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ association received from assessments on its members for community services such as road maintenance, common area maintenance, water service, sewage service and security service as well as any business with a gross revenue below $2,500 annually.
Hernandez said she does not project the revised exemption to affect tax revenues in the city very much.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThere was already an exemption for businesses that had made $4,000 or less the previous year, so we probably werenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t getting it anyway,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ she said.
Hernandez said the exemptions for advertising gross income for radio, television broadcasting and homeowners associations were already in state code, and the ordinance allows the city to update its language to match what was already in the code, Hernandez said.
The ordinance would also more clearly describe when tax returns and payments are considered to be late, and it limits how much collection agencies may charge to the city, Hernandez said.
The second ordinance pertains to home-based businesses. The ordinance would update the cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s home occupation ordinance to add home-based businesses to the language and update the definition to match state code, Hernandez said.
The updated ordinance would not allow signage or advertisement of home-based businesses to be visible from the street, limits the sale of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œlawful goods and servicesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and would not permit home-based businesses to generate on-street parking or a substantial increase in traffic through a residential area.
The city previously allowed small signs for home-based businesses. Now state law bans signs that can be seen from the road, Hernandez said. The ordinance also sets an administrative review fee, which is replacing the home occupation fee, she said.
The council will also consider a resolution to authorize Mayor Patrick Farrell to enter into a contract for the construction of a lag and piling wall for the Cook School Road slip remediation.
The council will also consider a resolution to purchase 29 Motorola M500 in-car camera systems for the Huntington ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Department. The cameras will upgrade the current technology in the patrol fleet and are essential for documenting officer interactions with the public during daily operation, according to agenda documents.
The council will also vote on an ordinance that would issue tax increment financing (TIF) revenue bonds for the Highlawn Redevelopment District in the amount not to exceed $10 million to finance the cost of future public improvement projects. The council approved the creation of the TIF district in April 2023 to facilitate public improvement projects.
The council will also consider resolutions to confirm the appointment of Allison B. White to a first term on the Huntington Municipal Parking Board and Matthew G. White to a first term on the Huntington Planning Commission.
