The assembly voted unanimously on April 14 to repeal a decades-old ordinance that regulated door-to-door salesmen, peddlers and hawkers. Officials described the 60-year-old rules as a relic of a bygone era that no longer fits how people do business today.

The ordinance was originally enacted in 1966 to protect consumers from “transient or irresponsible vendors.” However, Borough Manager Mason Villarma said the code had become a historical curiosity rather than a useful law.

“Generally, it is an antiquated piece of our code,” Villarma said. “We don’t have horses and buggies that people were operating off of to sell their goods.”

The decision to remove the chapter was driven by both practical and legal concerns.

Borough Finance Director Katie Hermanns noted in a summary prepared for the assembly that the old rules required special licenses for auctioneers and canvassers. Villarma explained that because the ordinance regulated activities like door-to-door solicitation and the distribution of religious literature, it could potentially conflict with court rulings on free speech.

Furthermore, the borough’s general sales tax code now covers all business activities, making the specific peddler rules redundant, Villarma said.

While the assembly viewed the law as outdated, one resident spoke up about how the specific peddler’s license had served her.

“I’m the only one that’s used this peddler’s license in probably 10 years,” Kathy Watkins said. “The whole cost is $2. I realize that’s administratively tough, but it’s still $2.”

Watkins explained that the license allowed her the flexibility to sell handmade items like pot holders on her own terms.

“It gives me the freedom to sell my pot holders when I want to. It’s going to be for my schedule based on my life — my traveling, my health, whatever it is,” she said. “I don’t think that one person doing this in 10 years is burdensome.”

In response to Watkins, Villarma noted that the borough is moving toward a new system for sales taxes and business licenses. Under the proposed changes, a borough business license would be required, renewable every two years for a small fee.

“We still require a business license, which will be free (this year only) under that ordinance, and then it’ll be renewed every two years,” Villarma said. “There would be a small fee — it’s 25 bucks every two years to register as a business license.”