Article V — Administration

The finance director or designee shall maintain in confidence the business affairs, operations or other information contained in any business license registration certificate application and any information obtained from an investigation of records of a business; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the examination of records by federal or state officials, a grand jury or court of law subpoena, or other agents of the city for the purpose of auditing the accounts of the city or finance director or enforcing this chapter; nor shall this section prohibit the disclosure of the names and business addresses of licensees, the general type of their business, and general statistics regarding business license registration fees collected in the City.

(Ord. No. 2023, § 1, 3-6-2024)

The finance director shall have the power, for good cause shown, and documented by the finance director as a permanent record:

A.

To extend the time for filing any required sworn statement;

B.

To adjust the amount of the business license registration fee due, provided that any such adjustment shall not set the fee at a rate higher than that set by the city council;

C.

To make refunds of business license registration fees paid.

(Ord. No. 2023, § 1, 3-6-2024)

The amount of any business license registration fee imposed by this chapter shall be deemed a debt to the city. A suit may be brought against any person to enforce the collection of the debt described in this chapter in any court of competent jurisdiction.

The conviction of any person for transacting any business without a business license registration certificate shall not excuse or exempt such person from payment of any business license registration fee due or unpaid at the time of such conviction and nothing herein shall prevent a criminal prosecution for any violation of the provisions of this Chapter.

(Ord. No. 2023, § 1, 3-6-2024)

A.

Duties of the Finance Director. It shall be the duty of the finance director to enforce each and all of the provisions of this chapter. For purposes of such enforcement, the finance director and finance technicians

(or equivalent position as it may be renamed from time to time) are "officers" who may issue citations to violators of this chapter pursuant to Chapter 1.10 of this Code.

B.

Inspections. The finance director, in the exercise of the duties imposed by the provisions of this section, and acting through deputies of duly authorized assistants, shall have the right to enter and examine all places of business free of charge during normal business hours to ascertain whether the provisions of this chapter are being complied with.

C.

Penalty for Violation. Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to enforcement and penalty provisions set forth in Chapter 1.10 of this Code.

(Ord. No. 2023, § 1, 3-6-2024)

When any person, by the use of a sign, circular, card, telephone book, newspaper, other publication, or advertising media, shall advertise, hold out or represent that they are in business in the city, or when any person holds an active license or permit issued by a government agency indicating that they are conducting a business in the city, and such person fails to deny, by a sworn statement given to the finance director or designee, that they are not conducting a business in the city after being requested to do so by the finance director or designee, then these facts shall be considered prima facie evidence that such person is conducting a business in the city.

(Ord. No. 2023, § 1, 3-6-2024)

All remedies prescribed by the provisions of this chapter shall be cumulative, and the use of one or more remedies by the city shall not bar the use of any other remedy for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 2023, § 1, 3-6-2024)