Last week’s series of winter storms played havoc with just about every aspect of life in and around Albany and Clinton County, including schools, businesses and local and state government functions.

The weather caused the cancellation of both the Clinton County Fiscal Court’s regular meeting on February 19, as well as a public hearing”scheduled for the same afternoon on the proposed amendment to the county’s Occupational License Fee, or Occupational Tax.

The fiscal court conducted a special call meeting Monday evening of this week, in lieu of its cancelled regular meeting, and details of that session can be found beginning on page 1.

The public hearing on the occupational license ordinance amendment, however, has been delayed as a matter of law giving time for the public, under state statute, to be notified of such a hearing in cases where public comment periods are required, in this case, the amendment of an ordinance that deals with raising a tax.

Before second and final reading or passage of the ordinance, a public notice period is required for advertising the hearing. Since the original hearing was postponed, the process has to begin again by advertising the hearing for the two-week legal period.

Clinton County Fiscal Court, as advertised in the legal pages of this week’s Clinton County News, has rescheduled both the public hearing and the second and final reading for Thursday, March 5. Should second reading pass, the amended ordinance would take effect upon publication.

The public comment period on March 5 will begin at 4 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the Clinton County Courthouse. This will allow residents to express their opinions and/or concerns either for or against the proposed increase in the occupational tax rate.

The court originally discussed, and voted to raise the rate, at their regular meeting in January and have since approved first reading of the document, at which time the original public hearing was scheduled.

Following the public hearing, the fiscal court has set a special call meeting for 5 p.m. the same day to vote on second and final reading. That meeting is also open to the general public.

The ordinance amendment calls for raising the current Occupational Licence Fee, or Tax, from .75 percent of each $100 earned by people who work and earn income in the county to 1.25 percent, a .50 cent per $100 earned increase.

Proponents of the Occupational License Fee increase say the money is needed to maintain services currently provided by the county while opponents feel working people are taxed enough, if not too much, already.

In both votes–to raise the tax and first reading of the amended ordinance–the measure passed on a 4-2 vote.