City Council reviewed options for an updated solicitors and peddlers code that would add proposals for dealing with panhandlers at and near the interstate ramps and provisions for a city no solicitation list.

The June 18 discussion grew from concerns aired about panhandlers near the interstate and lack of any regulations for police to use to deal with complaints.

The addition of a no solicitation list was suggested as part of the discussion.

The no solicitation list has been used in Englewood successfully, David Caldwell, city law director, told the council.

If a list is added to Tipp City regulations, residents could request to have their names placed on the no solicitation list. The list, in turn, would be given to solicitors and peddlers who could be required to get the list from the city before going around town. The exception to the no solicitation list would be canvassers with political or religious purposes because they have more protection under free speech, Caldwell said.

Council was given information on Englewood’s peddler/solicitation ordinance, which was updated following a challenge in the federal courts, as well as the Dayton ordinance on panhandlers. The Dayton ordinance has been used by other area communities as a model for dealing with panhandling.

Caldwell said any peddler/solicitors ordinance would require “this balance between First Amendment rights and property owners’ ability to be safe from nuisance.”

He said that peddlers generally are defined as someone selling their wares immediately, while a solicitor would be taking orders going door to door. A canvasser would be someone with a political or religious message/purpose going door to door.

The panhandling situation could be addressed under solicitation regulations by addressing soliciting of donations in areas near ATMs, banks or on a highway/intersection, Caldwell said.

He said he would use ordinances from Dayton, Englewood and West Carrollton as models and draw up regulations for council consideration.