Business Licenses and Permits:: Published by Corporation Service Company » Blog Archive » Elgin Council agrees to re-examine business licenses in a year

The Elgin, Illinois, city council has agreed to reexamine its business license program after the first year of implementation, at Mayor Dave Kaptain’s request.

Business licenses were introduced to the city in the summer of 2010. The council this week held a clarification meeting, as it is feared that some remain confused about certain aspects of the program.

Indeed, the Courier News Sun-Times reported that a small group called Elgin OCTAVE is opposing the permits.

One member approached a recent art fair and asked stallholders how they feel about the possibility of paying for a business license.

But city management analyst Aaron Cosentino told the news provider that temporary merchants are exempt from the permits.

Any business operating in the city must pay between $35 and $595 a year depending on the square footage of their company, while home businesses are assessed separately.

Charities and government bodies are just some of the organizations exempt from the program and downtown businesses have been granted a three-year exemption due to street construction projects in the area.