Woodbury Reworks Peddlers Ordinance

The Woodbury City Council has approved a change to the city’s solicitors and peddlers ordinance that will now require background checks on those who wish to sell things door to door in the city.

Public Safety Chief Lee Vague said at last week’s council meeting that it was more of a “housecleaning” item that brings the city’s ordinance in line with a League of Minnesota Cities template.

The city could do background checks before, but now officials will examine every person who applies for a license.

Woodbury has had a peddlers and solicitors ordinance on the books since 2005, Vague said, and “overall it’s been successful.”

The new language will make background checks less discretionary and also keep those with criminal histories from approaching homes in the city, he said.

The existing ordinance has prevented people with sexual assault, burglary or weapons convictions from working Woodbury, Vague said.

The ordinance does not apply to groups such as Girl Scouts selling cookies, he said.

The city council on Sept. 28 approved 3-0 assessing 17 properties in the city for cleanup work. (Council members Julie Ohs and Christopher Burns were absent.)

The amount totals $7,640, Community Development Director Dwight Picha said.

Sixteen of the 17 homes were assessed because their lawns were not mowed. The other was a vacant, foreclosed home that had a broken window.

City Attorney Mark Vierling provided a review of two cases that the council discussed in a Sept. 14 closed session.

The cases are: City of Woodbury vs. Preferred Sands of Minnesota (not yet filed) and Vier vs. City of Woodbury District Court File 82-CV-10-7417.

The council took no formal action and only discussed strategy, Vierling said.

• Tabled a decision on whether to that the Woodbury Sports Foundation owes the city.
• Received two awards: A Certificate of Excellence from the International City/County Management Association – Center for Performance Measurement (ICMA-CPM), its highest level of recognition, and an award acknowledging the city’s successful completion in the National Center for Civic Innovation’s (NCCI) Government Trailblazer Program.
• Tabled a decision on whether to award Northwest Asphalt that will open the door to .
• Briefly discussed a change to city ordinances that would increase the setback requirements for structures such as patios. Councilman Paul Rebholz asked staff to return with photos or drawings to better illustrate the proposed changes.
• Heard from Public Works Director David Jessup that this year’s . Thing , he said, despite some initial concerns with the contractor because of previous work.