ROGERS -- Peddlers who ignore "No Soliciting" signs could face a $1,000 fine after the City Council approved changes to city ordinances regulating door-to-door sales.
The council approved updates to the solicitation ordinances and added the penalties during its regular meeting Tuesday. Chris Griffin, Rogers staff attorney, said warmer weather brings more door-to-door salesmen. That made it a good time to update ordinances regulating the practice.
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"With the growth that has happened in Rogers, keeping code clear and up to date has fallen to the wayside in the past," Griffin said. "We are just making sure this is up to date."
A "No Soliciting" sign historically had no legal backing in the city, Griffin said. The penalty portion of the city's ordinances on solicitation in general also was muddled, he said. This made it difficult to enforce the ordinance that already banned solicitors from bothering people on a "no-knock list," he said.
The no-knock list is organized by the city. Salesmen must avoid residences on the list, Griffin said. However, he said the ordinance didn't list a specific penalty if a solicitor violated the code. Another ordinance dealing specifically with penalties also was updated Tuesday to address the issue, he said.
Solicitors who don't follow the code can now receive up to a $1,000 fine for the first offense and $2,000 for the second offense, Griffin said. If the solicitor continually disregards the code they could receive an additional $500 for each day there is a violation, he said.
"This can obviously be an inconvenience and a quality of life issue for some people," Griffin said. "This gives us the ability enforce those wishes of our citizens who don't want those type of things going on at their house."
Keith Foster, Rogers Police Department spokesman, also said it can be a quality of life issue for some residents.
"People have the right not to be disturbed with unwanted intrusions," Foster said. "As with any issue, enough of our citizens said they did not want to be disturbed and our city leaders responded to that."
The no-knock list also hasn't been updated in years, Griffin said. It's possible some people on the list have moved away. The ordinance also requires people sign up for the list every three years.
The city received 11 requests for permits to solicit last week, said City Clerk Peggy David. The permits can be issued for one day, one week or one month depending on the permit costs paid by the solicitor or the company the solicitor works for, she said.
David said each solicitor working for a company must provide valid identification and pay a fee before getting the permit. The fees range from $10 to $75 depending on its duration. Solicitors must keep their identification and permit on them at all times while soliciting.
Griffin said a city policy has required solicitors to have a permit for years. However, it was not included in the city's code. The new ordinance includes the regulations on permitting, he said.
Regulations on solicitors are important to weed out businesses that aren't legitimate, Griffin said.
"A legitimate business doesn't mind some of the regulations," Griffin said. "The ones that are not legitimate don't want to be on the radar because they are up to no good. They don't want to have the scrutiny"
Some solicitors don't have businesses in the area, making it difficult for the public to make a complaint if something doesn't go right, Griffin said.
"If you don't live up to your agreement, they don't know how to find you or how to file a suit against you," Griffin said.
The permit system allows the city to compile information on solicitors in case a resident needs to contact the solicitor or company, Griffin said.
The ordinances were passed with an emergency clause Tuesday making them effective immediately.
NW News on 05/28/2015