Politics & Government

Hearing Dates Set On Proposed Peddling Ordinance

Changes to Gaithersburg code would address 'peddlers, hawkers and solicitors,' and city exemptions from county regulations.

The Gaithersburg City Council on Monday set public hearing dates this summer for ordinances dealing with how county laws apply in the city and how the city treats "peddlers, hawkers and solicitors."

A proposed emergency ordinance that deals with how Gaithersburg interacts with county laws—the city must opt in for them to be valid—would remove provisions from the county code that conflict with city law.

As part of the ordinance, the city would remove the following county code provisions from the city code:

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  • County election districts.
  • Referendum petition procedures.
  • Charter referendum procedures.
  • Special election procedures when there is a council vacancy.

Each of the areas already are regulated by the city.

The ordinance also will delete the county provision establishing the county water quality protection charge. Gaithersburg included its own water quality protection charge in the fiscal 2014 fee schedule and will conduct a study to recommend a future rate structure for the city, according to city documents.

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Deletion of the county code provisions will allow Gaithersburg to collect the past fee until a new fee structure is developed.

A public hearing for the ordinance is set for June 3.

The ordinance's emergency status allows it to go into effect without waiting 20 days after adoption, City Attorney Lynn Board said.

The council also introduced a proposed change to the city's code, which would allow appeals when registrations for "peddlers, hawkers and solicitors" are revoked. A hearing was set for July 1.

The ordinance is part of a number of amendments the city's Board of Appeals is considering, with the majority falling under zoning code, city planner Caroline Seiden said.


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