Changes to the city of Aurora ordinance that apply to peddlers and solicitors will be on the unfinished portion of the Tuesday, Sept. 25 Aurora City Council agenda.
Aldermen at the Committee of the Whole (COW) Tuesday, were amenable to increasing the fees for door-to-door solicitors from $50 per solicitor for a 90-day permit to $100 per solicitor for a 30-day permit.
Besides paying the fee, peddlers selling everything from landscaping services to magazines are required to have an identification badge with a photo. Chapter 32 of the City of Aurora Code of Ordinances is entitled “Peddlers and Solicitors”.
Those soliciting for charitable organizations are not affected by changes in the ordinance, including Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, and students selling items for their schools.
In response to a concern by Ninth Ward alderman Ed Bugg, mayor Richard Irvin asked staff members to look into whether the hours for solicitors should be shortened by an hour during Winter months when the sun sets earlier.
Currently, registered solicitors are allowed to go door-to-door between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. in April, May, June, July, August, and September, and between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the remaining months.
Bugg said homeowners, especially senior citizens, may be unnerved by having someone come to their doors after dark. Seventh Ward alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns agreed.
Aldermen agreed that they would like to see more compliance among businesses.
Eighth Ward alderman Rick Mervine said that he has had peddlers tell him they looked into getting a city permit, but they felt it was too expensive. He added that of about four-dozen solicitors he has had come to his residence this year, only one had the proper identification.
As it stands, the ordinance reads that peddlers are required to skip any homes that are marked with “no solicitors” signs.
Assistant chief of staff Alex Voigt said residents who want to report solicitors should contact the city government’s Customer Service Center at 630-256-4636. There are fines in place for businesses that commit infractions and they may be banned from soliciting in the City.
City clerk Wendy McCambridge said there were 151 citations issued for peddler-related issues in 2015; 112 in 2016; 69 in 2017, and 46 so far this year.
• In other business, an ordinance granting a special use permit for video-gaming terminals will go on the September 25 consent agenda.
TW Restaurant Group is seeking a license for five video game terminals in a restaurant, TW Café, planned for 4430 Fox Valley Center Drive, Unit 108. A special use permit is required for a new video game license for a business that is fewer than 2,640 feet from another licensed establishment; in this case, the Fox Valley Hooters restaurant.
If approved Tuesday, it would be the first exemption granted under a new ordinance the City Council enacted earlier this year to regulate video gambling.
One of the owners of the restaurant group, Tim Axarides, told COW members that they own Tracy’s Café near Best Buy as well as Oakhurst Plaza. “We’re looking forward to opening this new venture,” he said.
• In another matter, mayor Richard Irvin praised the organizers of the September 15-16 Fiestas Patrias celebration for a job well done.
This year’s event was presented by the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board in partnership with the city government of Aurora and the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Chief community services officer Dan Barreiro told the mayor and COW members that in the two previous years, the celebration was attended by approximately 5,000 individuals over both days at the RiverEdge Park.
This year, he said, the crowd was near 4,500 Saturday and 10,000 Sunday, which nearly tripled the attendance.
The event was held in the Aurora Transportation Center Parking Lot at Spring Street and Lincoln Avenue. This year’s event featured a carnival, a Sunday headlining act, and Summer-like weather.
Barreiro said security, portable toilets, and trash bins will need to be increased for next year’s crowds. “But by all measures, it was a success,” he said.