Published: September 03, 2008 01:01 pm         

Commissioners OK rules for temporary businesses

Companies conducting temporary business in Cass County will now have to file paperwork with the county and pay a fee, after the passage of a “transient merchants” ordinance at the county commissioners meeting Tuesday.

“An Ordinance of the County of Cass, Indiana, Establishing Standards for the Conduct of Transient Business” was unanimously passed by the commissioners. The county was required by state law to create legislation dealing with the issue, said Stan Williams, the head of the city-county plan commission.

The measure starts by defining a “transient merchant,” essentially any temporary business. There are a number of exceptions, including tax-exempt organizations, auctioneers and those selling products they grew or made.

Those considered transient businesses will be required to apply for a license from the county. They are already required to obtain a license from the city where they are conducting the business, Williams said.

A $100 fee will be charged to obtain the six-month county license, and businesses will also have to pay a bond of at least $750, which will be forfeited in case the business violates its agreement.

Businesses that failed to apply for a license could be charged with a class C infraction for each day a violation occurs.

The ordinance was a collaboration between Williams and County Attorney John Hillis, Williams said. The two also consulted with County Auditor Dawn Conner and Logansport Clerk-Treasurer Ruth Ellen Bland.

It was the culmination of a four-month process, Williams said.

“This came up in the joint city and county meeting,” he said in front of the commissioners Tuesday. “We decided that something like this was needed to protect our businesses.”

Also at the meeting Tuesday, the commissioners denied a request by County Clerk Linda Crimmins to open a Twelve Mile voting center for three days before the upcoming election. Instead, that center will be open only on Election Day.

The commissioners approved the rest of Crimmins's voting center plan, which includes four-day centers at the Cass 4-H fairgrounds, Cass Senior Center, Logansport Mall, Walton Fire Department, Galveston Community Center and Royal Center Town Hall.

Brian Rosenthal can be reached at (574) 732-5148, or via e-mail at Brian.Rosenthal@pharostribune.com