Back in June, Springfield City Council passed an ordinance requiring businesses to provide a receipt for all personal property taxes before obtaining an occupational license. Intended to give the city a working enforcement mechanism — Greene County Assessor Brent Johnston estimated back in March that more than 60% of businesses in town didn’t submit a personal property assessment this year — the bill passed three months after being sent to the plans and policies committee, which didn’t actually meet during that time frame.
Then, on Monday, Mayor Jeff Schrag introduced an ordinance that would suspend enforcement of the property tax requirement. He had no specific problems with the rule, saying that the issue was “complex” and citing a statute that encourages council to send bills to committee before passage.
Craig Hosmer, who originally co-sponsored the bill with then-mayor Ken McClure, defended the original ordinance over a heated, lengthy exchange with Schrag and City Attorney Jordan Paul. He pressed Schrag, owner of such businesses as Pioneer Formalwear and The Daily Events, to name a particular reason to be concerned about the rule and repeatedly asked if he had received concerns from any business leaders…