The City of Bloomington has suspended its business registration program.
City Manager Tim Gleason said he wants to improve the usability of the program and won't be asking for a fee when the city revives the effort.
"Yes, there is staff time and there are staff costs. I get that. But at the end of the day the greatest value to me is having the data," said Gleason.
Gleason also said registration had not been going well.
"We were 14 days away from a deadline. We had 15 percent registration in play. We were a long way from the finish line and were receiving a fair amount of concern about the process," said Gleason.
The $50 registration fee was approved under a previous administration.
Gleason said the newly created Technology Commission might offer an opportunity to improve the business registry to help economic development efforts.
"I don't think this will be a big deal to reimplement. But I want to do it right. I want it to be as easy as it can possibly be," said Gleason.
Gleason said fees collected so far will be refunded and he does not anticipate a fee the next time.
"Now, there will be a penalty if they don't comply. But I think that's reasonable as well," said Gleason.
Gleason said business registries are valuable for cities and economic development organizations to use.
People like you value experienced, knowledgeable and award-winning journalism that covers meaningful stories in Bloomington-Normal. To support more stories and interviews like this one, please consider making a contribution.
