City eliminates fee

    Retail merchants in the city of Bedford going out of business won't be required any longer to pay a fee to run a “going-out-of-business” sale.
    But they still will have to obtain a permit for that sale.
    At last week's City Council meeting, council voted 6-0 to eliminate a $65 fee that had previously been charged to file the permit. Last month Vice Mayor Robert Wandrei brought up the issue—after being approached by a local business that was closing—about the fee.
    At that meeting Wandrei asked that the fee be eliminated in order to make the city more business-friendly.
    It is a violation of state law for any business to advertise or conduct a “going-out-of-business” sale without the permit. Cities are required to issue permits to retail merchants for such special sales applications. Fees can be charged as part of the application, but don't have to be. A business that fails to obtain the appropriate permit is in violation of the law, which constitutes a misdemeanor.
    Also on Tuesday, council approved action to appropriate funds for needed repairs on No Business Mountain Road, the gravel road leading to the public safety tower.
    The tower supplies radio signals to the city, Bedford County, Lynchburg and Amherst County. According to City Manager Charles Kolakowski, when the lease with U.S. Cellular was negotiated, the city agreed to be responsible for maintenance of the road. The city will have the road repaired and will be reimbursed for those costs by the Central Virginia Communications Board. Cost of the work is expected to be $15,000 to $20,000.