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Vol. 18, No. 27
March 23, 2022
Farm l Ranch
Polson city manager discusses proposed business license By Taylor Davison/Valley Journal
2022
Inside
St. Patrick’s Day pg. 6
Sports pg. 12
POLSON — Rumors have been spreading through Polson about a new fee soon to be passed on to local businesses. The reality of the proposal, as explained by Polson City Manager Ed Meece, is less far-reaching than some businesses fear. Proposed by the city’s executive branch, the primary staff for this project has been Meece and deputy fire chief Kevin Straub, with some research assistance from management intern Tyler Baker and finance director Cindy Dooley. If passed, the business license would be mandatory to operate a business within Polson. However, the license fees, Meece stressed, would not be without purpose. According to Meece, the primary purpose of the new fee is to offset the cost of conducting Fire and Life Safety inspections. As part of the business license program, each licensee would receive regular inspections at their place of business that is open to the public, or areas in which employees work. Presently, fire inspections are primarily performed by Polson Fire Chief Clint Cottle and Deputy Chief Straub, along with occasional volunteer fire assistance. However, according to
TAYLOR DAVISON / VALLEY JOURNAL
The Polson business license proposal still has steps to go through before being presented to the city commission. Public comment and input is invited.
Meece, as Straub is part time it limits the number of inspections that can be done on a regular basis. The license fee would help cover some of the cost of expanding the deputy chief ’s position to full time. “We’re trying to make it as practical as possible,” Meece said. “It’s about a public service. There is a direct link between what you are paying and the w w w.va l le yj our na l.net
service that you’re receiving. And there’s a direct link between how much you’re paying and how much service is required.” The fee structure will be based on the square footage of the business, as the more square footage there is to inspect, the more work there is to be done. Different square footages will be placed on a different grade, and each grade will receive a specific
fee to keep it a flat number. The square footages for these grades have not yet been determined, but an example would be 1000-1500 square feet on one level, 1600-2000 on the next, and so on until a certain cap is reached. While some have expressed concern that problems found in their old buildings will cause
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