The question still looms large. A business license ordinance that's scheduled  to go into effect on July 1 has met strong opposition from business owners throughout the municipality.

A meeting of the Horse Creek Merchants Association is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m., at Bobby's Bar-B-Q, to collate the names of the people who signed the circulating petition to have a referendum placed on the November ballot to overturn the ordinance that was approved by Burnettown Town Council last December.

"We're in the final phase of collecting petitions," said Mel Minitor, of Horse Creek Merchants Association. "We're going through the list, and it appears that we're in good shape to be able to force a vote in November.  Any names that we pick up at the meeting will be icing on the cake."

The meeting will not serve as a question and answer forum, Minitor said.

We expect several council members to be present at the meeting," Minitor said. "We'll reserve what we have to say until the final reading on June 27.   We're going to be taxed without getting anything for it. There has to be some give and take."

The Town Council believed it was necessary to have the ordinance in place to generate additional funds for services that they deem necessary.

"We took our stance on the business license ordinance," said Wayne Benson,  the mayor of Burnettown. "I didn't anticipate that there would be this much concern. No one likes taxes or change. The money generated from the business license ordinance will go into the general fund."

The town has had the power since incorporating in 1941 to impose a business license requirement. The possibility of forming a steering committee to take a more in-depth look at the business license ordinance was brought up at the May meeting, and the Council will decide on its fate  this month.

"It's our understanding that the Horse Creek Merchants Association will be presenting the petitions to Town Council at the June 27 meeting," said Wayne New, Burnettown's town councilman.

"The final reading and vote on whether or not the steering committee should be formed will be at the June 27 meeting. I hope Council decided to approve the steering committee. If the steering committee is formed, the action will postpone the implementation of the ordinance, so people will have the opportunity to comply."

The business license ordinance would have helped generate funding for an additional policeman, argued Council.

"If we don't get the funding from the business license ordinance, we won't  be able to hire an additional fourth full-time police officer," New said. "We'll still have a police department, and we'll do everything we can to protect the residents of Burnettown to the best of our ability."

A proposal to change the balance of power on the Town Council will also be addressed at the June 27 meeting.

"I'm going to make a proposal to change the balance of power from a strong mayor and weak council to a weak mayor, strong council form of government," New said. "I'm going to make the motion, but I don't know if I'll get a second. This will also need three readings, but if it gets approval, this will also be on the referendum in November."