(A) Investigation of applicant. It shall be the duty of the Police Chief, or his or her authorized designee, to secure a background check through any lawful means on each applicant, and on all other persons listed on the application, before issuance of a permit, which investigation may include but is not necessarily limited to personal interviews with named individuals, criminal history checks, and verification of references and information contained within the permit application.
(B) Issuance of permit. A permit applied for under this subchapter shall be issued by the city within 30 days after the application is completed and filed, unless it is determined that the applicant has provided false or incomplete information on the application. A permit requested under this subchapter shall be issued for the length of time requested, not to exceed one year. An expired permit may be renewed under the same terms and conditions as the original application and subject to the same fees.
(C) Form of permit. Each permit shall be printed in black, and the following shall be printed prominently thereon: “The issuance of this permit is not an endorsement by the City of Ferris or any of its officers or employees”. Each permit shall bear a permit number which is the same as the file containing the application filed by the applicant.
(D) Permit to be displayed. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or solicit in the city without displaying the permit required by this subchapter on his or her person, in plain view, while engaged in such soliciting or selling.
(E) Exhibiting permit. Every solicitor or peddler or seller shall identify himself or herself as a salesperson upon approaching a citizen in a public place or at a private dwelling and explain his or her purpose, whether it be direct sales, solicitation or orders of the demonstration of goods or merchandise, or any combination of purposes thereof, and shall produce for inspection, upon request by any person, the solicitor’s permit issued by the city.
(F) Responsibility for acts of solicitors. The recipient of a permit or named applicant shall be responsible for the acts of his or her authorized representatives or solicitors listed in the permit application in connection with solicitation activities. In this regard, the recipient of the permit shall actively supervise all persons listed in the permit application, which supervision shall include but not be limited to remaining within the corporate city limits during all solicitation activity and responding promptly (within ten minutes) to calls by city representatives related to the solicitation activity, which may include responding to an on-site complaint from a citizen.
(Ord. O-12-724, passed 2-6-2012) Penalty, see § 111.99