Members of the Spotswood Volunteer Fire Department took issue with a new ordinance banning the solicitation of donations in roadways, traditionally a major source of the fire company’s fundraising.
The Borough Council adopted an ordinance Aug. 19 that prohibits solicitation, peddling, selling, hawking and canvassing within roadways, labeling those activities as “creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians, motorists and the individuals conducting the activities.”
Before the council voted, Fire Department Capt. Kevin Meade Sr. asked why the department was being included in the ban, which he said would have a financial impact.
He said firefighters solicit funds from motorists for about six hours per year.
“That is all we do,” Meade said in a heated exchange with Council President Edward Seely.
“We make $5,000. Tell me, where we are going to make $5,000 in six hours? Nowhere. … And now any other volunteer nonprofit is going to be in the same boat we are.”
Meade said there has never been a problem during their roadway solicitation.
“I honestly believe this is just a shot at us. You are taking away $5,000 in funding from us that we can’t replace,” he said.
The amended ordinance does not prohibit all solicitation. For example, it is still permitted in front of storefronts. However, any person or group seeking to solicit must apply for a permit and appear before the council.
The ordinance states that solicitation must take place between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. and is not allowed on Sundays.
Seely said officials are concerned about safety in light of increased traffic in the borough, and that the amendment is not aimed at the Fire Department. He said there are safer ways to collect donations than roadside solicitation. “For a solid year now, this council has discussed this in one way or another. The traffic in this town is horrendous. The congestion in this town is going to keep growing with Helmetta and Monroe putting more cars in our area, because they have projects going on,” he said.
“I know [Meade] will not agree with this, but we feel like what is good for one is good for all. There are safer ways to raise money. I would think the Fire Department would say, ‘If this is for the good of the community, we can do that,’ ”
After the public hearing, Seely and councilmen Curt Stollen, Frank LoSacco and Nicholas Legakis voted in favor of the ordinance. Councilwoman Margaret Drozd voted against it.
“The Fire Department’s apron comes right out onto Main Street, where a lot of people are stuck in traffic,” Drozd said in an interview. “They solicit funding from there.
“The difference between the community and the Fire Department is that they are trained in safety. They do different things — like go up to cars with a helmet or boot, and you put the money in there, or coin tosses where you toss the money out of the car window onto their tarp [set up on the side of the street],” she said.
Drozd said the firefighters are volunteers, and she did not want to stop their fundraising practice.
“Now we are amending those guidelines to exclude every organization. I voted against that because I thought it was evident they can do it safely and it is a major revenue source for the Fire Department,” she said.
Drozd said the ordinance targets the busy intersections at Main Street, Devoe Avenue and Vliet Street.
“[People] were coming into the road during solicitations, and it would be really dangerous because there is a lot of traffic. As someone who personally goes through there, it is very unsafe, especially with the kids running up to car windows to get the donations, or even young adults,” she said. “It was not a safe situation.”