Ballwin Council OKs Solicitor IDs, Fees

After more than a year of deliberations, the Ballwin City Council approved legislation Monday night in the hopes of tightening the city's watch on door-to-door salespeople.

The law was the council’s first piece of legislation for the new year, and was approved 6 to 2.

Prior to the legislation’s approval, Alderman Mark Harder asked the council to consider allowing Ballwin professionals overseen by the state, such as insurance agents, veterinarians and engineers, to be exempt from the fee. The council agreed, and the exemption was expanded.

The proposal to require solicitors to carry identification dates back to Dec. 2010, when a resident had which she later recounted to the city council. Days after the complaint was recorded by Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, the solicitor was .

The legislation approved Monday will require solicitors to pay a permit fee of $25 for one day of sales, $5 of which covers ID production costs. Every subsequent day of door-to-door soliciting would cost an additional $20.

Alderman Richard Boerner asked the council to consider also exempting Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America, which he said operate locally even if outside city boundaries.

City Attorney Bob Jones disagreed and said singling out any specific groups could put the city at risk.

“I would be very hesitant to call out by name any organizations,” Jones said.

Other unsuccessful changes included an amendment by Alderman Michael Finley, who suggested requiring applicants to provide additional contact information for their supervisors. The motion was opposed by the council, 5 to 3.

Jones said the legislation could be revised, but reiterated that some liberties must be ceded to campaign members and other civic groups.

“Ultimately, we can make it as strong or weak as you want to make it,” Jones told the council. “But we must be careful to recognize that canvassers and handlers who are just putting out public interest information … need to be treated differently.”

The council considered delaying the vote for a possible amendment, but the majority of members including Alderman James Terbrock opposed another delay.

“I’m worried we’re getting this off-track of what this is supposed to be for,” Terbrock said. “I would think that some people would be happy with the fact that we’re trying to look out for who’s walking around the city.”

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated what group Alderman Mark Harder sought to exempt from solicitation fees. We regret this error.