Many business owners opposed to Fayetteville registry | CF

PUBLIC INPUT SESSION: Owners Express Opposition.

COMMENT: Last night was a forum on the city’s proposed business licensing system (something I’ve spoken in favor of). I didn’t attend because of a scheduling conflict, but many people who did attend were opposed to the proposed registry.

Skip Descant’s story quotes two business owners who don’t like it – Aaron Stahl of Waste Consulting and Charlie Sego of Duck Club Gallery.

Stahl says that the proposed $60 fee might be enough to deter a new business owner from opening up. Sego says adding even one more fee might be enough to drive a business under.

Really? $60 a year can have that effect? I think a city business registry is vital and I’m willing to pay it even though I’ve made almost no money this year with Ozarks Unbound.

I’ve spoken in favor of the registry and have argued for a reduced price for home businesses. Because home businesses could be administered easier the cost can be reduced.

My understanding of the price is that this $57 to $64 price point is what is required to cover the admin costs of the list. Lowering that amount requires dipping into general city funds for a subsidy.

Though we dip into general city funds to aid certain types of development, I’m not sure the average taxpayer should pick up the tab for this business registry.

Josh McGee and myself differ over this business license issue, but he does consider the topic on the Mid-Riffs blog in a thoughtful fashion. He critiques the literal bullet pointed reasons I quoted from the city’s report on why the license is needed.

While I disagree, McGee’s critique is valid.

I’ll also say that I really enjoy the idea that what started as a news story in today’s paper gets picked up by a local blog and discussed at length and that leads to another local blog writing on the topic as well, creating a nice feedback loop of diverse opinions on a controversial subject.

That’s the power of creating a digital information ecosystem here in NWA.

Christopher Spencer

Christopher Spencer, 36, is the publisher and owner of Ozarks Unbound and the food news site, The Fayetteville Food File. He is the chair of the Fayetteville Creative Economy Action Group and the social media chair of the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He's also the founder of WordCamp Fayetteville. You can always contact him at cspencer@ozarksunbound.com

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1. Mid-Riffs » Blog Archive » More Business License Nonsense - 8 Apr 2010