This week, the Selma Police Department (SPD) will have the task of looking for businesses that are operating without a business license.

According to Selma City Councilwoman Susan Youngblood, several businesses are operating without licenses, which violates both the city ordinance and state law.

Youngblood said anyone operating without a business license will be given a warrantless-arrest by the SPD, and can be fined up to $500 or spend six months in jail. Youngblood said the fine will be up to the judge’s discretion.

Youngblood is right in thinking that if businesses don’t have a license, they are not paying taxes either.

Depending on the number of businesses in the city that are committing this crime, this could make a big change in the revenue problems that the city is currently facing, especially since just coming out of a temporary fix moving funds out of the General Fund, YMCA fund and others to help pay $400,000 in payroll.

That fund transfer only fixed the most recent payroll payment, and only after they were denied a line of credit.

This move would not only possibly collect more funds for the city, but would stop the unlawfulness that some of the businesses may be committing.

At this point, the city needs every dollar they can get, and this is a start to also cleaning up this city.