PRIEST RIVER — City Council members discussed raising business registration fees on Monday after noting concerns by Councilwoman Candy Turner.

“I just don’t think it covers Laurel’s hard work,” Turner said, referring to Laurel Thomas, the city clerk and treasurer.

“She has to send out reminders, and then if they don’t pay, she has to send out things, then if they don’t pay, we have to send somebody to try and collect … I just don’t think it’s enough money.”

Business owners pay an annual registration fee of $10 a year, which is split between the city and the Priest River Chamber of Commerce.

The original intent when we did it, it was actually proposed by the chamber and the police department, as a way of trying to make sure we had contact information for the businesses,” said Mayor Jim Martin. “... That was back in 2010 and we haven’t changed it from the $10 a year since then. I think initially we thought it would be generating more.”

Thomas said out of 135 businesses in 2017, 24 had to be issued a late notice and six had to pay a $50 late fee.

Since changing the amount would need to be done by ordinance, the item was tabled for drafting of an ordinance amendment.

Another item of note on Monday’s agenda was River Vista Estates plat approval. Settlers Ridge, located just outside of town off of Keyser Lane, was a planned unit development of 13 lots approved by the city in 2011. Earlier this year, the landowners requested a vacation of that plat.

The vacation was done by ordinance and approved by City Council members on July 16. According to the ordinance, only two of the 13 lots had sold and housing market conditions had sold as housing market conditions have changed since the recording of the plat.

The vacation request cleared the way for landowners to start over with a minor land division on the property. This resulted in four, five-acre lots, rebranded as River Vista Estates, for which the final plat was approved by council members on Monday.

Among several pay requests on the agenda for Monday, one was for the Highway 57 sidewalk project. Stuart Malley from Allwest Testing provided an update to council on the project, noting that crews plan on finishing up along Highway 57 around Oct. 5, at which time they will move to Jefferson Avenue. At that time, everything but the markings and the rectangular rapid flashing beacons should be completed on Highway 57, he said. Malley said the project completion is anticipated on Oct. 16-17.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.