(a) No person shall act as a solicitor in the City without first having registered as such with the Division of Police.
(b) The Chief of Police or his designee shall issue a registration permit to each applicant and such permit shall be carried on the person of the registrant at all times when engaged in such solicitation and shown on request of any police officer or any person of whom a request for contribution or offer to sell is made.
(c) Application for a solicitor permit shall be made upon a form promulgated jointly by the Division of Police and the City Attorney. Each application shall contain:
(1) The name, address and the telephone number of the person completing the application;
(2) The name of the entity for which the person or organization intends to sell, offer for sale, or solicit orders, or the name of the cause for which the person intends to solicit contributions.
(d) Each applicant shall provide to the Division of Police evidence of personal identification in the form of any of the following:
(1) Valid drivers' license;
(2) Certified copy of a birth certificate;
(3) Valid United States passport;
(4) An official organization photo containing the following information: name, address, and telephone of the organization and the individual's name, address, and social security number;
(5) Current State of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles identification card.
(e) Each applicant shall provide the Division of Police evidence of organizational identification in the form of any of the following;
(1) Vendor's license;
(2) I.R.S. identification number;
(3) Corporation identification number;
(4) Any other identification acceptable to the Division of Police.
(f) Each applicant shall pay an administrative fee to the Division of Police with checks or money orders made out to the "City of Reynoldsburg" and such fees shall be in accordance with the below fee schedule:
(1) For a permit with a duration of fourteen (14) calendar days, the fee shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
(2) For a permit with a duration of thirty (30) calendar days, the fee shall be thirty-five dollars ($35.00).
(3) For a permit with a duration of six (6) months, the fee shall be seventy-five dollars ($75.00).
(4) For a permit with an expiration date of December 31 of the calendar year in which the permit is issued, the fee shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00).
(g) Background Investigation Required. All engaged in solicitation activities within the City operating under the provisions of a permit issued pursuant to this section must provide results of a background investigation completed within thirty (30) days of the date of application. The requestor of a permit must provide copies of all background investigation results of each member of the group or employee at time of application. The only accepted form of background investigation is a completed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) Webcheck® otherwise known as a BFBI check.
(h) Within five (5) days after receipt of the completed application and background check, the Division of Police shall issue solicitation permits to the applicant, unless:
(1) The applicant has provided false, misleading or deceptive information in the application; and/or
(2) The applicant, or any solicitor named on the application, has been convicted of a felony violation within his/her lifetime, or misdemeanor violation involving fraud or moral turpitude within the past five (5) years.
(i) Once issued, a permit may be used only in conformity with the laws of the City and the State of Ohio; it may not be assigned or transferred; it must be carried by the licensee at all times; and it may be revoked or suspended by the Division of Police for any of the following causes:
(1) The licensee or person preparing the application on behalf of the licensee provided false, misleading or deceptive information in the license application.
(2) The licensee charged or convicted of a felony or of misdemeanor involving fraud or moral turpitude.
(3) The licensee violates any provision of this chapter or solicits in an unlawful manner.
(j) In the event a license application is not approved or in the event any license issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter is revoked, written notice shall be given to the applicant or licensee by regular U.S. mail service at the address provided on the application.
(k) The applicant may appeal the denial/revocation of a permit to City Council by submitting a notice of appeal to the Clerk of City Council within thirty (30) days of the denial or revocation and City Council will set a hearing on the appeal within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice of appeal.
(l) The Division of Police shall prepare and maintain a List of Solicitors that is made available to the public upon request. This List shall include the name of any active permit holder, the name of the entity for which the permit holder intends to sell, and the expiration date of the permit.
(Ord. 43-2020. Passed 6-6-20.)