'Please don't knock on my door'

Responding to complaints about solicitors, the Harrisburg Town Council is considering an ordinance that would require people to get a permit before they go door to door across town.

The ordinance would establish specific guidelines for solicitors and prohibit solicitation in Harrisburg without a business license. Under the proposed ordinance, solicitors would pay a $10 fee for a license approved by town officials and prevent solicitors - whether they have a license or not - to enter property where a "no solicitation" sign is posted.

The Council will hold a public hearing at its regular meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 8 for citizens to voice their opinions about the ordinance. A hearing was scheduled for the Council's Jan. 11 meeting, but Council members voted to postpone the hearing to have more time to consult with the Cabarrus County Sherriff's Office and the county's district attorney.

The proposed ordinance comes after residents expressed concerns that some solicitors might be more interested in scoping out area neighborhoods than selling goods or services.

"In some cases, it's legitimate," said Town Council member Rhonda Poppen. "And in some cases, it seems they're just trying to learn more about our properties."

Carol Barber, community watch coordinator in the Orchard Park subdivision in Harrisburg, said some of her neighbors have complained about solicitors. She described one incident in which a resident asked a solicitor to leave. He acquiesced but cursed the resident from the street.

Barber said she and her neighbors are concerned that some people going door to door aren't credible salespeople.

"Anybody who is legit would be willing to go through town hall and register for a license," she said. "As a homeowner, I think we should have some say as to who comes onto our property."

Orchard Park's homeowners association adopted a no-soliciting policy, but, without an ordinance to back up the policy, law enforcement officials can't stop solicitors from going door to door.

"You can put a sign up, but there's nothing legally to enforce it," said Capt. Monty Sellers of the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office.

But if a resident asks a solicitor to leave and he doesn't, the solicitor could be charged with trespassing, Sellers said.

Chief Deputy Paul Hunt of the Sheriff's Office said complaints come in sporadically but occur more often during the summer when companies hire college students to sell magazines and other goods. He said some residents are intimidated by solicitors.

"Sometimes the sales tactics get out of hand," Hunt said. "It makes people nervous when you see a white panel van pull up in the neighborhood, and 10 young men get out. But if people knew they were doing it legally, that would make them feel safer."

The ordinance would set hours in which solicitors could go door to door. Solicitation would be allowed 9 a.m.-6 p.m., November-April and 9 a.m.-8 p.m., May-October so that no solicitations could be made after dark. The ordinance would also prohibit "coercive, abusive or misleading" solicitation tactics, and solicitors would be required to carry a copy of the business license issued by the town.

Violators of the ordinance could be charged with a misdemeanor and forced to pay a fine.

The City of Concord has a similar ordinance that requires solicitors to get a license before going door to door within city limits.

But Poppen said such an ordinance needs to balance safety concerns and the needs of genuine salespeople. Some charitable organizations, including the Girl Scouts, have expressed concerns that an ordinance would limit their ability to raise money, she said.

The ordinance would exempt organizations or people approved by the town, people invited by residents to come to their property to sell goods and anyone collecting money for goods or services previously sold.

Hunt has been working with town officials to ensure that legitimate vendors and nonprofits are not unfairly targeted by the proposed ordinance.Harrisburg resident Karen Runyon-Cole, who is helping organize a community watch organization in the Harrisburg Town Center neighborhood where she lives, said she thinks the town should adopt measures to deal with solicitation.

"You don't want to wait until something gets out of hand before you have something in place."