Morganton City Council Approves Privilege License Increases

Morganton City Council approved an increase on flat rate privilege licenses to the maximum cost of $100 per license. The only licenses exempt from this increase are the vendors’ licenses.

In advance of Morganton council members vote on privilege license increases, specialty market vendors made a motion to lower the proposed increase in license fees. Vendors had been paying $25 for an annual license and the proposed increase would mean paying four times that amount.

A slow economy and few working days guarantee little income to market hawkers. Vendors who operate booths in Morganton complained that the ballooned license charge would cause many of them to go out of business.

In arguing the proposed license increase, Roger Lane, owner of Exhausted Rooster Antiques told council members, “You need to think a little more on this because you’ll shut a lot of people down.”

Mayor Mel Cohen suggested lowering the charge to $40 for vendors’ licenses. His proposal was unanimously approved by council members.

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