Manhattan Massage Parlors: Plainfield poised to introduce fee hikes for business licenses
Under the proposed ordinance, fees for copies of municipal certificates of birth, marriage, death and burial all would jump from from $5 to $25. Licenses for retail food establishments that do not offer seating, which are billed on a sliding scale based on square footage, would cost 50 to 90 percent more, depending on the size of the eatery. And licenses for sit-down restaurants, billed on a sliding scale based on number of seats, would double or even triple.
Municipal business licenses must be renewed annually. If a retail food establishment is inspected by the Health Division and rates conditionally satisfactory or unsatisfactory, under the proposed ordinance a reinspection surcharge fee would jump from a flat $40 fee to $100 for a first reinspection, $200 for a second and $500 for a third. The ordinance also would demand annual license renewals for several types of businesses that currently are not required to have them, including self-service laundromats, barber shops, beauty salons and massage parlors.