Legislation for door-to-door solicitation made more rigorous in Collinsville
By Ray Popkess • Collinsville City Council discussed more thorough regulations regarding door-to-door solicitations and the applications businesses must complete in order to do so at their most recent bi-monthly meeting Aug. 12.
City Clerk Kim Wasser outlined the key details businesses must submit in the form of an application to properly conduct on-foot solicitation sales.
For each solicitor a business wishes to employ in the city, the business must submit:
- An in-depth application for each solicitor
- A copy of their state-issued driver’s license, identification card or passport
- Non-refundable application fee
- Background check
- State issued certificate of registration for company/organization being solicited for
- Surety bond
(Exemptions would include non-profit civic organizations, Scouts, school events and fundraisers.)
Police Chief Brett Boerm provided more details regarding the options for processing background checks, stating that open-source data searches of court records would be efficient for his team to conduct but would not cover everything if businesses were soliciting from neighboring states or further. Fingerprint scanning would be another option but would be the least efficient method, stating that his staff would have to designate time each day to process fingerprint scans. He even mentioned neighboring communities such as Granite City have had applicants drop off 30 applications at one time. The third option would involve contacting a vendor to handle background checks, similar to the process the city staff has for their own hiring process.
Applicants that receive approval will also be issued a Collinsville Solicitors’ License with a photo ID that is to be displayed and visible at all times. The licenses will be valid up to one year, and expire on Dec. 31 of the year it was issued.
Wasser also addressed some restrictions regarding the solicitation amendment. Solicitors must conduct their business between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday thru Saturday. There will be no soliciting on Sundays or holidays. Solicitors would be in violation of the agreement if they refuse to leave when asked, or approach a residence with a clear NO SOLICITORS sign posted. If in violation, licensees may have their credentials revoked as well as receive a fine up to $750 per offense.
The amendment for the ordinance will be finalized and sent to the mayor for approval.
