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Sulphur Council moves to remove solicitation-registration requirement and tighten handbill rules
Summary
Council introduced and voted to amend city code to delete the solicitation-registration requirement and to prohibit placing handbills in or on vehicles on private property; the changes respond to complaints about aggressive door-to-door solicitations, especially affecting elderly residents, while retaining several exceptions.
The Sulphur City Council introduced and voted on ordinances to remove a solicitation-registration requirement from city code and to tighten rules on distribution and handbills.
City attorney Mister Lofton explained the revisions are intended to make the code consistent after deleting registration language and to address multiple complaints from elderly residents who reported aggressive solicitors. "We were receiving multiple complaints primarily from elderly individuals ... they were appearing at the elderly people's house multiple times being very aggressive," the attorney said while explaining the basis for removing the registration provision.
The ordinance changes (referenced in the meeting as Ordinance 69-25 and related amendments) remove the registration requirement in chapter 13.5 section 152 and update related distribution rules in chapter 17 to reflect that change. The attorney emphasized the revisions include exceptions: churches, governmental information, candidates and supporters, nonprofit or charitable organizations, private schools under age 19, firefighter and police associations, scouting organizations, and advocacy that does not involve commercial solicitation.
Council members approved the introductions and related amendments by roll-call votes. The record shows the changes are characterized as housekeeping edits to make code sections consistent after the repeal of the registration requirement.
The ordinance language, as described at the meeting, removes the municipal registration and retains a prohibition on harassing solicitations while preserving enumerated exceptions for noncommercial and civic activity.
