The Chilton County Commission has yet to provide full and clear details on a proposed county business license, and time is running out before the vague piece of legislation becomes law.

The bill, which must be voted on the Alabama Legislature, would give the commission the authority to set the fees for a county business license, but, as it is often said, the devil is in the details. Or, in the case of this legislation, the lack of details.

During the previous commission meeting, confusion over who will be forced to buy another license or even the fee structure remained rampant, and even the commissioners seemed confused as to what was going on.

At that same meeting, three commissioners asked State Rep. Jimmy Martin to pull the local bill to allow for the finer details to be worked out. But, the commission’s desire to have this bill passed in this legislative session won out over what most considered common sense.

To this day, business owners in the county are confused. Some don’t even realize such a bill is even being considered, much less close to becoming reality.

We understand the commission’s need to generate revenue to help make ends meet. And, we are not fully opposed to the idea of a county business license.

What we are opposed to is the commission’s rush to get this bill passed without working through all the details. We are opposed to a significant bill not being fully vetted before it could become law.

It would be wise for the commission to pull this bill at their next meeting, work out the details and then come back with a well thought out plan that will truly benefit the county.

We’re willing to do our part, if we know what our part is.