Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett, from right, Councilman Terry Shabel, Councilman Eric Phillips and Councilwoman Susan Eller speak at an August council meeting. 

GOOD HOPE — To account for a few pop-up stores that have come into the city because of the upcoming visit by former President Donald Trump, the Good Hope City Council passed an ordinance Monday night to create a new special event business license. 

The license, which will cost $50 per day, will allow for temporary stores to be open for up to seven days before a special event and require the store to be closed by midnight on the night of the event, and will require the stores to follow all state and local laws — including paying sales tax.

During the discussion before the passing of the ordinance, Councilwoman Susan Eller said the city of Cullman has a similar license for special events that costs $100 per day, and the license includes events like Rock the South, Oktoberfest and the Strawberry Festival. 

Good Hope having a similar ordinance would allow for the city to have something in place to make sure temporary stores are paying sales tax for the Trump rally and any future events that might bring temporary stores, she said. 

“It would just be something that we would control,” she said.

City Planner Corey Harbison said the stores that come with events like the Trump rally are a potential revenue stream for the city, so having the ordinance in place could allow for those while still having exceptions for things like someone from opening a temporary store every weekend in the same place.

“It may be something for y’all to consider to have instead of just telling everybody ‘No,’” he said.

If the city did not have an ordinance, the people who are opening the temporary stores will likely keep opening up in the city in different spots, so the ordinance will prevent the city from having to continue to fight to keep them out, he said. 

“It would probably be easier and simpler, and honestly be better for revenue for the town to work with them and get them set up,” he said.

Mayor Jerry Bartlett said two of the stores that had opened up for the Trump rally came in to city hall to try to buy a business license, so they should be willing to work with the city on the newly-created licenses.