Disagreements over wording and potential confusion on who would be covered by a solicitation ordinance caused the Legislative Council at its October 21 meeting to postpone a vote on the ordinance to its next meeting, scheduled for November 4.

Councilman Arnie Berman expressed concerns that the ordinance could get people having booths at fairs or other locations to think they need a second license. Fellow Councilman Michelle Embree Ku wanted it spelled out better that political candidates going door to door to campaign were not considered solicitors.

The ordinance itself is not a "ban" on solicitation, and members of the council's Ordinance Subcommittee felt outright banning solicitation was "too strong an approach."

"We want to respect people's first amendment rights while also respecting people's property rights to limit who can come onto their property," said Ordinance Subcommittee member Chris Eide.

What it does is create a "Do Not Knock" list, to be administered by Newtown Police Department. Requesting to be added to the "Do Not Knock" list would be a permanent entry, with the address only being removed from the list at the specific request to the police department by the current owner of an address.

The town's previous solicitation ordinance already required solicitors to receive a license to solicit in town. Now each individual solicitor would be required to bear a large yellow placard in a font large enough to be read at a distance with the solicitor's license number.

Fines have been increased, with two separate violations, one for not having a license and the other for ignoring the "Do Not Knock" list.

"We're not looking to ban but to deter major companies coming onto people's properties and harassing them," said Ordinance Subcommittee member Ben Ruben.

Ordinance Subcommittee member Jordana Bloom said the "Do Not Knock" list will help the council "get a read" on public interest in not having people solicit at their homes, but in how many sign-ups there are as a percentage of the town's homes.

"This gives a start and a voice to whether people want soliciting at all," said Bloom.

Berman said he "loved" the proposal, saying it was a "perfect way to stop intrusions and promote domestic tranquility."

The soliciting ordinance came at the request of members of the public. While the town does have an ordinance regarding solicitation, in September then-Chairman Keith Alexander noted that the council had heard “quite a bit of concern over the solicitation ordinance” as well as “finger pointing between the first selectman’s office and the police department” over the handling of the ordinance.

At a previous meeting, Bloom noted it is already illegal to go door to door selling items, but soliciting for businesses, such as a plumbing business or solar panels, is currently allowed by permit in town. Bloom said that the Borough of Newtown was also looking at the issue of soliciting, and it is more susceptible to it due to many homes being closer together. However, the borough felt that a town-wide ordinance would be better.

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Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.