A. Required; Form: Any person desiring to engage in the business of selling alcoholic beverages in the city under the provisions of the Montana alcoholic beverage code and this code shall first apply for a license therefor from the director of finance. Application shall be made to the city council on such application forms as shall be provided by the director of finance.
B. Filing; Council Action: The application shall be filed with the director of finance and presented for the consideration of the city council at its first regular meeting following the filing thereof, but action thereon may be postponed for investigation or other good cause in the discretion of the council. The action of the council, with reference to the application, shall be entered in the minutes of its proceedings, and no license shall be issued without the approval of the council so entered upon the minutes. The date of such permission and the book and page where it is entered upon the minute book shall be noted on any license issued pursuant thereto. If the application is rejected, the reasons for such rejection shall be noted in said minute entry, the applicant notified thereof and the tendered fee returned to such applicant.
C. License Fees; Proration: License fees shall be payable in advance and shall accompany the application therefor, whether for original license or renewal thereof. No rebate will be allowed for fractions of a year; except that if a license is granted after June 30 of any year, the license fee for the remainder of the calendar year shall be one-half (1/2) of the entire yearly license; and except also, that if the entire yearly license fee has been paid in advance and the business under the license shall have been discontinued before July 1 in the year in which such license was granted, the director of finance shall refund one-half (1/2) of the yearly license fee so paid upon surrender of the license, make appropriate book entry of the fact of surrender and refund, and report thereof shall be made to the city council at its next meeting and entered in the minutes.
D. Term: All licenses shall expire at twelve o'clock (12:00) midnight on December 31 in the year in which such license is issued.
E. Prohibited Location: No license will be granted to sell alcoholic beverages in any residence district of the city, and the decisions of the city council as to what constitutes a residence district shall be conclusive upon all applicants for licenses. (1983 Code § 5.04.030)