Miner enforces late payment fines

MINER -- Tardiness will now mean additional costs for business owners in Miner.

During a special meeting Friday, the Miner Board of Aldermen approved adding penalties for late payments.

The first is a $500 penalty for failure to remit the city's 4 percent tourism tax in a timely manner.

"We had some late payments," Mayor Frank Tatum said. "Some as late as three months."

"They've collected the money," Alderman Terry Cole said.

The due date for remitting the tax revenue is the 20th of the following month: tax collected in September, for example, must be sent to the city by Oct. 20.

With the action taken Friday, businesses that do not turn over the city's money within 10 days of that due date will be subject to a $500 fine. An existing provision charging 10 percent interest on overdue payments will remain in effect.

Tatum asked City Clerk Danielle Patrick to send a form to business owners to sign advising of the city's new policy.

The Board next addressed a problem with businesses not renewing their business licenses on time.

City business licenses expire on June 30 of each year. A city staff member indicated Ellen Davis, city collector, would like to see business license fees paid no later than Aug. 31.

"Maybe we need a penalty on that, too," Tatum said.

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