Marlene Mundey, president of the Logsdon Ridge HOA, has lived in the township since 1993 and said she has never seen so many solicitors.
“They are aggressive, they are disrespectful, they are frightening, they are dishonest, they’ve tried to get into the homes of our residents,” she said. “And while our regulations say they have to cease and desist at 5 p.m., they are still banging on the doors and ringing the doorbells at 8:30 and 9:30 at night.”
After hearing from residents last week, trustees denied a resolution to extend hours for registered solicitors to 6 p.m. October through April and 9 p.m. the rest of the year.
The township’s attorney was concerned it was violating First Amendment rights — soliciting is considered free speech — with the 5 p.m. cut-off, so staff drew up a resolution extending the times.
The trustees disagreed and now are looking into ways they can tamp down on scofflaws.
“The bottom line is the First Amendment allows this to happen,” Trustee President Tom Farrell said. “If we put in rules and regulations that do not allow it then the township could be sued.”
The township’s regulations concerning solicitors were revised in 2006, according to Trustee Christine Matacic when many selling magazines would be dropped off at neighborhoods and not picked up until after 10 p.m.
“When I’m listening to my residents they don’t appreciate the fact that people have been knocking on their doors, and when they tell them no they don’t take no for an answer,” she said. “Then they go around into their backyard and that type of thing. When that starts happening then I see there’s a tipping of the scales when it comes to the safety of our residents.”
All three trustees pointed to an incident earlier this month in which a West Chester Twp. woman was attacked at her home by a man posing as a roof repairman.
Trustee Steve Schramm was in agreement at holding firm on the current 5 p.m. deadline.
“I’d rather run the risk of getting sued than have our attorneys strike fear into our bones,” he said. “We have reacted like a poor little township for years and years and years, always worried about getting sued. So I think we kind of get our tail wagged by others. At some point we’ve got to stand up and this looked like a good opportunity for me to do it,” he said.
Since January, 11 businesses have registered with the township, according to Farrell. Only five currently have the required permit.
Every solicitor must register with the township and pay a $50 fee to receive a Registered Solicitor Badge, which must be worn where it can be easily seen, according to the township.
The township is also considering increasing the fees for both the permit and the misdemeanor $50 fine if people are caught breaking the rules.
The crucial thing, Farrell said, is for residents to report pushy solicitors.
“By tightening the rules and the penalties we are hoping to make sure we can clean this up,” Farrell said. “However, we can’t clean this up without help from the residents. If they have a solicitor that is a for-profit solicitor that comes to their door without a badge, they need to report it (to the sheriff).”
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