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Council debates tougher solicitation rules but holds ordinance for more review
Summary
Town of Sellersburg councilors and the police chief debated enforcement and penalties for door-to-door solicitation under a proposed ordinance but agreed to pause and refine the draft.
The Town of Sellersburg discussed Ordinance 2025-OR-014, intended to repeal and replace Section 110.28 of the town code governing door-to-door solicitation, but the council did not adopt the ordinance on June 23 and asked staff to revisit enforcement options.
Chief Wills described intense recent enforcement activity and urged the council to consider whether higher fines or criminal remedies could deter noncompliant vendors who often operate transiently and "will be gone in 30 or 60 days." He said officers wrote multiple tickets but that many solicitors do not pay fines or obtain local permits. "We wrote 7 tickets last week," the chief said, adding that transient vendors frequently ignore warnings and return to canvass nearby neighborhoods.
Council members voiced competing views. Some supported raising fines and exploring civil enforcement against the companies behind repeat violators; others warned that high fines are ineffective if the vendors are transient and unlikely to pay or appear in court. The chief and others recommended coordinating with the county prosecutor to define when persistent canvassing rises to harassment or trespass and to pursue enforcement that would create "teeth." Jake (town staff) and other officials urged careful drafting so the ordinance targets repeat or harassing conduct while not criminalizing ordinary, one-time interactions.
Councilors also discussed permit and lanyard requirements and whether a higher fine threshold tied to documented, verifiable complaints would be effective. Officials noted that some companies follow rules and secure permits, while many out-of-area vendors do not.
After extended discussion the council agreed to table the ordinance for further review and to direct staff and the chief to meet with the prosecutor to determine prosecutable thresholds for harassment and trespass, and to return with revisions that add enforceable remedies for repeat or harassing solicitations. No final vote adopting the ordinance was recorded in the meeting transcript.
