‘Home occupation’ rules fixed for in-town residents
People living in business-zoned areas in Nashville town limits can now apply to run a business out of their home, as long as no walk-up sales are done there.
The Nashville Town Council voted to fix this issue at their July meeting, following up on a concern that a resident brought to their attention in May.
Frank Rogoyski told the council that he’d been trying to get a permit to have a home-based business, but because of a quirk in the way the ordinance was written, he’d been unable to do so. The chart in the ordinance, showing which types of businesses had to get a special exception and which didn’t have to, seemed to conflict with another part of the ordinance. He believed that on B3-zoned property, he could have a “home occupation” business without having to get special permission. It didn’t make sense that a more obvious business could operate in B3 zoning, but a home-based business couldn’t, said Town Attorney James T. Roberts.
Roberts drafted an amendment to clear it up. “Home occupations” are allowed in all zoning districts in town, but a special exception is only required in R1 and R2 zoning, he said. The Brown County Area Plan Commission supported this amendment and the council voted 5-0 to accept it as well.
“It has to be a business run by family members,” Roberts explained at the July town council meeting. For instance, if a person makes toys out of their home, they could sell them online or ship them through the mail, but a person couldn’t walk into their home and buy those toys, he said.
“The whole idea is to protect the integrity of the residential district so you don’t have someone knocking on your doors and saying, ‘Hey, is this the place where you get the little wooden toys?’” he said.
Council member Arthur Omberg questioned whether or not artists could legally sell items out of their homes. He mentioned a couple who used to sell work out of their homes on Artist Drive. Town Manager/Economic Development Director Scott Rudd suggested the council take another look at that, to make sure that use would be protected as well.
Roberts said that studying what does and does not constitute a “home occupation” business would be a good idea, as the definition is at least 25 years old, and “life and commerce have really changed.”
Town approves large expenditure for software
The Nashville Town Council voted last month to spend more than $25,000 on new software that will allow town offices to do state-required reports.
The town hasn’t updated this software since 1999, said Nashville Clerk-Treasurer Brenda Young. She and the rest of the office staff have no problem doing some of the work on paper as they always have, but laws are changing, and they have to scan and upload certain documents every month for online auditing, she said. This software will allow the town to meet its requirements, and will make other parts of town business easier as well, such as utility billing, she said.
Once the new software goes into effect, water and sewer bills will no longer be sent on postcards that can get stuck and lost in other pieces of mail in your mailbox, Young said. They’ll be regular paper bills. But if customers wish, they will be able to sign up for paperless billing, she said.
The cost of the software, installing it and converting files will be $26,882.50.
Small business loans still available through town
The Town of Nashville still has money to loan to small businesses through its revolving loan fund.
Nashville government received $75,000 from the USDA Rural Business Development Grant Program two years ago to loan to small businesses in town.
Loans can be used by new or existing businesses to buy equipment, inventory, display cases, a mower, refrigerator, whatever is needed to operate the business, said Town Manager/Economic Development Director Scott Rudd. These types of loans typically are available to people who aren’t able to get a traditional bank loan, he said.
The loans are low-interest, up to $20,000. Business owners must show that getting the loan will help create jobs or sustain current ones, Rudd said.
As the recipient pays the loan back to the town, that money can be loaned out again to other business owners who need it, he said.
Anyone interested in the loan program’s requirements can contact Rudd at Town Hall, 200 Commercial St.
