Monday night, Tom Braswell, Director of Planning for Habersham County proposed some changes and clarification in the Comprehensive Land Development Resolution on behalf of the Planning Commission that he said would “level the field for all start-up businesses” in people’s homes.
There are three types of businesses allowed in a person’s home in unincorporated areas of the county (outside city limits) : “home occupation, residential, and rural.” The change he proposed, which was approved by the County Commission, will allow more than one business to be starting in a “home occupation” business, and limited to two the number of start-up businesses allowed in “residential” and “rural” businesses.
Braswell said that to his knowledge, since 2005, “businesses in unincorporated Habersham County have been required to have an Occupational Tax Certificate” – a state requirement. Beginning in 2015, he said, businesses have to apply for and receive a business license, too – to operate in unincorporated areas, according to county regulations.
Both the Occupational Tax Certificate and a local business license may be applied for on the second floor at the County Administrative Building (the former courthouse) Braswell said.
Any questions on the licensing change should be directed to Joey Eller, License Specialist, at 706-839-0144, or [email protected], Braswell said.
In other business, the county commission:
- announced a welcome to Michael Beecham, who will begin in October as Community Planning and Development Director for the county; and
- approved a new Operating Agreement for Ambulance Service with the Hospital Authority. The major change in the new agreement is that now, “any surplus the ambulance service may experience shall be submitted back to the Habersham County Board of Commissioners within 60 days of the completed audit,” and “if the ambulance service experiences a shortfall Habersham County Board of Commissioners are required to true up this difference within 60 days of the completed audit.”
“In the past, we have not been as diligent,” Commissioner Sonny James said. “This should have been done years ago,” he added.
