Every evening about 6:00 p.m. your phone probably rings right when you’re getting ready to eat dinner. It’s the dreaded telemarketers, trying to sell you something you don’t want or need. If you’re rude, like some of the rest of us, you just hang up on them. Or if you have caller ID and it reads "unknown name, unknown number", you just don’t answer it. They’re annoying, but it’s not too hard to get rid of them. But when they show up on your doorstep, that’s another problem.

As soon as nice weather arrives, the Mayor’s office is typically deluged with companies seeking solicitor’s permits. They want permission from the Mayor’s office to go out into the neighborhoods to peddle whatever they are selling. As a matter of fact, it’s a law in the City of Alliance. Alliance Codified Ordinances Chapter 765 governs "Peddlers, Solicitors, Canvassers, and Transient Vendors." Anyone who wants to go out door to door has to get a temporary business permit to do so. There are exceptions for those under eighteen years of age like the Girl Scouts, youth groups, etc. There is also a one hundred-dollar fee for the temporary business permit. If a company or individual meets the specific requirements on the permit application, the city has no choice but to issue them a temporary permit. There are legitimate companies who conduct business by going door to door. There are also many going door to door who are just out to make a buck and don’t care how they do it.

The city wants residents to be aware of who is in their neighborhood and what they are selling or promoting. Every year we get complaints of people being ripped off, taken advantage of or cheated. Please remember this. By issuing a temporary business permit to an individual or company, the City of Alliance is in no way approving of the company, the individual, or the way they conduct business. If someone comes to your door and states that they are working with the city for home remodeling, they are lying. If someone comes to your door and says they are involved with the city’s owner-occupied rehabilitation program, they are lying. The city takes applications for this program at 504 E. Main St. We do not send people door to door.

When someone comes to your door soliciting business, always, always, always ask to see identification. Then read the identification. Don’t just glance at it, really read it. When the city approves an application for a temporary business permit, we issue a paper permit with the company’s name on it. It is signed by the Safety Service Director, John Blaser. It is only good for thirty days, so check the date also. If you want to know what to look for, stop in the Mayor’s office and ask to see one.

If you have concerns about someone in your neighborhood going door to door, call the Police Department at 330-821-3131. They will know if that person or company has a permit. If you feel the least bit frightened, don’t open your door. If you have any questions about the company or what you’re getting for your money, don’t sign any papers. And if you do sign, remember you have three days to change your mind. If you have questions, call the Mayor’s office at 330-821-3110 and we’ll try to help you sort it out.