GENTRY — Mayor Wes Hogue on Monday suggested the city council consider the possibility of drafting and adopting a Green River Ordinance, prohibiting or limiting door-to-door sales within the city.

Hogue suggested such an ordinance because even intelligent and business-wise citizens can be deceived and cheated by unscrupulous sales people going door to door, he said.

“I would not be in favor of banning church groups or other non-profit groups from going door to door,” Hogue said.

City attorney Jay Williams, citing the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause and a federal court case against Arkansas, warned of possible constitutional issues with an ordinance which either banned all doorto-door sales or was selective in which groups could go door to door.

“I would suggest we should move with caution in passing such an ordinance,” Williams said.

Williams did say the citycould prohibit salesmen from knocking on doors if homeowners post a sign which says, “No Soliciting.”

“I think we need something to protect our elderly citizens somewhat,” said Gentry police Chief Keith Smith. “We need to do something as soon as possible,” he said, “because it’s that time of year when people are going to be coming and goingdoor to door.”

The city currently requires anyone wishing to sell within city limits to obtain a business license or temporary permit. No background check isdone on applicants and the city does not have any means in place to verify the legitimacy of the business.

“Right now we’re legitimizing (those going door to door) with a permit,” said city clerk Jo Ellen Martin, saying that a sales person who shows a cityissued permit to residents gives the appearance of representing a legitimate and trustworthy business when, in fact, it only means a permit to do business has been purchased from the city.

the paper’s office in Siloam Springs. Residents who do not wish to receive the papers can ask that their addresses be put on a list of homes where the advertisement is not to be delivered, Hogue said. He noted that the company is very willing to work at solving problems related to delivery.

In November the city council directed city attorney Jay Williams to look into ways the council could take action to prevent companies from throwing nonsubscription advertisements into yards and driveways.

On Tuesday, Neighbor Shopper publisher John Dilmore, who is also

The matter was referred to the police committee for more study and then is to be referred to the city attorney to prepare a draft ordinance.

“Can we also have the police committee take up the matter of all the papers in yellow wrappers being thrown all over in town?” asked councilman Kevin Johnston, who identified the paper as the Neighbor Shopper.

“We need to do something about that,” Smith said.

Hogue said he was contacted by and had spoken with the advertising paper’s publisher. Complaints can be called in topublisher of the Gentry Courier-Journal, said the shopper has value for advertisers and for readers.

“For a lot of businesses, it’s the primary way they reach out to their customers in Gentry and the rest of this area,” Dilmore said. “Where readers are concerned, it puts a lot of information at their fingertips for free. I recently spoke with a gentleman who got his job by responding to a help-wanted ad in the Neighbor Shopper.”

Restricting distribution of the Neighbor Shopper would, Dilmore said, “harm the businesses that advertise in it and the readers who’ve come todepend on it.”

Dilmore said the papers’ circulation department works hard to address complaints about the shopper. Dilmore noted that in the fall of 2009 he met with the mayor to make sure there are open lines of communication regarding distribution of the shopper and its sister publications.

The Neighbor Shopper is published by Northwest Arkansas Newspapers. It is part of a group of newspapers in western Benton County that includes the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader, Gentry Courier-Journal, Decatur Herald and Gravette News-Herald.

News, Pages 1 on 04/07/2010