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A conflict in the city’s recently updated mercantile license laws has real estate agents paying a $100 fee for the first time history, said Real Estate agent of Burns-Bradshaw Real Estate agency at 1508 Main Street.

“Real estate offices were always considered professional offices,” Bradshaw said. “We have been in existence for 90 years and we’ve never had to pay a mercantile license fee.”

Bradshaw maintains that real estate offices are among those that fall under the professional services purview, meaning they are exempt from mercantile license fees.

While the city’s definition of professional services lists doctors, lawyers, dentists, and real estate practitioner as exempt, the newly adopted rate table asks real estate agencies to pay a $100 annual fee.

City manager Michael Capabianco instructed Bradshaw [and other real estate agents] to pay the fee by its March 1 deadline, so as to not incur potential late fees.

“If the law is an error, real estate offices will be refunded,” Mayor John Moor said.

The changes came about after the City Council [who took office January 2015] discovered many mercantile license fees were left unpaid and that no succinct laws defined payment schedules and late penalty fees.

Other Refunds:

Currently, the municipality is working to refund sewer and parking utility overpayments.

On Wednesday, the City Council approved $630 in permit parking reimbursements for overcharges made during the early stages of this year’s sales.

The governing body also approved thousands of dollars in sewer utility reimbursements. City Manager Michael Capabianco said the sewer overcharges stem from a data maintenance error.

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