Members of the public have voiced their support for an ordinance that will, if adopted by the Jackson Township Council, make unwanted solicitations on private property subject to tougher penalties.
On Aug. 11, council members voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that will amend the portion of the municipal code titled Peddling and Soliciting.
Bruce Shapiro, the local government and regulatory affairs coordinator for the New Jersey Realtors, said the association supports the proposed ordinance in Jackson and a similar one in Toms River.
“We are aware of what has been going in Jackson … and it is as much a concern to us as it is to the council and the residents,” Shapiro said.
Recently, some residents have told Jackson officials they have received unwanted solicitations from individuals seeking to purchase their home, regardless of whether the home was for sale.
Residents told officials they saw people they believed were Orthodox Jews scouting out their neighborhoods and approaching their property to make unsolicited offers on homes.
Neighboring Lakewood has an Orthodox Jewish community that numbers in the tens of thousands of residents.
In those instances, Shapiro said, residents should voice their concerns to the New Jersey Real Estate Commission for violations of an existing blockbusting rule.
Blockbusting is a practice in which an individual is persuaded to sell his property at a reduced price out of fear that a different race or religious group is or will be moving into the neighborhood.
The person who purchases the property will then sell it for a profit to the new group of residents. Jackson’s proposed ordinance prohibits a solicitor from using “race, color, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religious affiliation of neighbors, prospective buyers or other occupants of prospective occupants,” among other actions, as a way to influence a property owner to sell his land.
Shapiro said residents can also file complaints with the Office of the Attorney General, the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights Real Estate Commission or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for violations of the Fair Housing Act.
“We understand what has been going on here and it is definitely something we are not happy to see as an association,” Shapiro said. “We are in support of the council’s actions.”
The ordinance states that anyone who wants to solicit in Jackson must provide two weeks notice to the municipal clerk’s office. Individuals will have to provide the names of the solicitors, the locations where they will be soliciting, the start and end dates of their campaign, information regarding any motor vehicles to be used in their efforts and proof of insurance.
When the requirements have been met, a permit good for 30 days will be issued. Solicitors will have to wear the permit in a location that is visible to the public at all times. The ordinance limits solicitations to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
The ordinance addresses Jackson’s “no knock” registry, which lists homes where residents have indicated they do not want to be approached by solicitors. According to some residents, a number of solicitors have disregarded the “no knock” registry.
At present, any solicitor who conducts business at a home that is on the “no knock” registry and displays a “no knock” decal would face a $1,250 fine and the revocation of any peddler’s license he may hold.
If the proposed ordinance is adopted, anyone convicted of violating the “no knock” registry provisions would also face up to 90 days in county jail.
To better inform future solicitors and vendors, the municipal clerk’s office will update the list of households listed on the “no knock” registry on a monthly basis, rather than every Jan. 15 and July 15.
While the ordinance aims to protect residents’ privacy, homeowner Brandy Jarmolowich said officials need to crack down on unwanted solicitations in order to address an existing safety concern.
“The problem is not only that they are knocking on your door,” she said. “They are pulling into your driveway. They are stopping in front of your house, blocking traffic and waving the oncoming cars to go by … It is becoming quite dangerous.”
A public hearing on the solicitation ordinance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25 in the municipal building. Members of the public may comment on the ordinance and the council members may vote to adopt the ordinance at the conclusion of the public hearing.