Independence mulls increasing fees for door-to-door salespeople

Independence Considers Raising Fees for Door-to-Door Sales Licenses

The city of Independence is evaluating an increase in licensing fees for door-to-door salespeople after discovering the current charges are causing a financial loss. City officials brought this topic to the City Council recently, highlighting that the existing fee system does not cover administrative costs.

Fee Structure and Administrative Burdens

City Administrator Chris Moriconi explained that the fee system is inefficient. The licensing process involves background checks and paperwork that demand significant time from city staff, outweighing the revenue collected from fees.

“If you’re a business, and you come in, you want to sell vacuum cleaners, there’s the initial $50 fee,” Moriconi said. “For all the vacuum cleaner salespeople, it’s $25. So, it was discussed briefly this morning at a staff meeting to make everything $50.”

City Clerk Gina Rawe added that processing each application requires considerable effort from both administrative and police departments.

“It takes about 15 minutes,” Rawe noted. “It takes the police anywhere from one to two hours.”

Impact of Large Groups of Solicitors

Moriconi cited an incident where a single company brought in about 30 sales representatives, multiplying the workload and costs significantly. This case intensified the conversation regarding the licensing fees.

“I think the final straw was there was a company that brought in like 30 reps,” Moriconi stated. “So, 30 times all that – background checks and all the work.”

The discussion also touched on the seasonal increase in solicitors, especially during summer months when college students seek temporary sales jobs.

Moriconi noted that the volume of solicitors tends to rise as students finish college and look for temporary work with door-to-door sales firms.

Summary

Independence is considering raising door-to-door sales licensing fees to better cover administrative costs caused by extensive background checks and increased applicant numbers, especially in summer.

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LINK nky LINK nky — 2025-11-07

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