City of Claxton suspends business license regulatory fee

The City of Claxton voted Monday night to approve a moratorium on charging a business license regulatory fee.

Claxton was operating as one of the few communities that requires licensed contractors doing business inside city limits to obtain a permit and pay a $25 regulatory fee.

Code Enforcement Officer Harold Rogers and Interim City Administrator Carter Crawford discussed the issued with Mayor Branch ahead of the meeting and the three recommended imposing a moratorium until further study can be conducted on the need for the fee.

Councilman Mel Kelly said many other cities take care of a regulatory fee through a building permit fee, which are often much more expensive.

Permit fees for the City of Claxton:

• $0-$1,000 – no cost for permit
• $1,001 – $15,000 – $3.00 per thousand
• $15,001 + is $2.00 per thousand

Contractors will still be required to have an active business license and a permit for the work to be conducted.

The motion was made by Councilman Larry Anderson and seconded by Councilman Risher Willard. It passed unanimously.

The moratorium will go into effect immediately.