The Harrison Township Committee voted to waive the $5 fee for an anti-solicitation, no-knock permit and passed two resolutions during its meeting on Sept. 2.
The waiver will be good for the rest of this year. The decision comes after representatives from Echoshield, a pest control company, were described by Mayor Adam Wingate as “pretty aggressive” when it came to soliciting over the summer.
The committee initially considered revoking the solicitation permit, but that effort expired on Sept. 1. The hope is that the fee waiver will encourage residents to get a no-knock sticker.
“I don’t think our residents are utilizing the no-knock sticker,” Wingate explained. “It gives the township a little more teeth to actually call law enforcement and have something done.”
A system with a QR code is being explored to keep the municipal building from becoming overcrowded with residents seeking a sticker.
“For the residents to be able to call,” said Wingate, “and then for the police department to enforce the no-knock sticker, they have to be on a list. You can’t just have a sticker.”
As for what will be decided regarding permits after the year ends, the township will look at what other towns are doing with solicitation enforcement before creating an action plan of its own.
The committee also voted to adopt a resolution that authorizes a qualified purchasing agent to award contracts below the bid threshold that are in excess of the pay-to-play threshold.
“This is just a formality,” said Township Administrator Dennis Chambers. “Our bid threshold was just recently changed to $52,000 for a qualified purchasing agent. From time to time, the state raises it. It has a lot of factors involved, but previously it was $44,000.
“The pay-to-play threshold is $17,500,” he added. “What this does is, since we have a qualifying purchasing agent, it allows us to do certain projects without having to actually go out and bid under the oversight of the (state) committee.”
The other resolution passed at the meeting focuses on approving the pro-rata contribution of Russo LLC, the developer of wastewater treatment upgrades in the Earlington Estates development on Earlington Avenue.
Both resolutions and the permit waiver were approved unanimously. The next township committee meeting is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m.
