City council may change yard sale rules

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City council may change yard sale rules

Posted by

Mark Beardsley

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Wednesday, October 5. 2011

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It may or may not be on the agenda when the Commerce City Council meets Monday night, but city manager Clarence Bryant asked his council at this past Monday’s “work session” meeting to be thinking of ways to change how Commerce regulates yard sales.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Commerce Room of the Commerce Civic Center.

“We’ve got to do something about our yard sales, the way we do them and the way the public does it,” Bryant told the council.

The city allows one yard sale every six months by any one individual. Those holding yard sales must get a permit — which is free — 24 hours in advance.

The permit, among other things, prohibits people from posting yard sale signs on the public rights of way.

“They walk out of City Hall and go right out on the streets and put signs on the right of way all the way home,” Bryant said.

His proposal, he told the council, is to charge a $50 fee for the permit, which will be reimbursed if the ordinance is not violated.

“If they violate the ordinance, we keep the money,” he said. “If they don’t, we give it all back.”

There are other problems with the current ordinance. Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr. told the council that people hold multiple yard sales at the same address, using different names.

“You go by the house and it’s the same people,” he said.

According to Bryant, the Georgia Department of Transportation can levy a fine of more than $1,000 for placing signs on its rights of way, but it depends upon the city for enforcement.

“You go out on the bypass and they’re (signs) all over the place,” Bryant noted.

“Y’all be thinking about it,” he advised the council

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#1 D.T on 10/05/11 at 06:18 PM [Reply]

Mr. Bryant, I could not agree with you more about the yard sale signs as they are every where. The person having the yard sale should be responsible for posting the signs properly and for removing the signs after the sale. However, this should also apply to those members seeking city council, mayor, and other elected positions from posting their signs on rights of way. Charging a fee and retaining it if rules are not followed maybe an infringement on due process and could potentially cost the city money defending a case.

How about local doctors allowing their parking lot to be used as a flea market. THis is being done on Hospital Road. Are we not going to discuss this along with the sign issue. This sounds like it could turn into a case of the "Haves" vs. "Have Nots."

I do not hold yard sales and I am not against the rules but I am for fairness and proper application and enforcement of ordinances. I want the signs picked up also but lets be fair.

#2 chris on 10/05/11 at 08:50 PM [Reply]

the city of commerce is full of it all thay wont is money

#3 just curious on 10/05/11 at 10:28 PM [Reply]

Glad to know our elected officials are hard at work tackling the important issues of our time...

Look. There are some people holding yard sales just to make ends meet. Is it really that much of a problem?

#4 ya? on 10/06/11 at 06:42 AM [Reply]

what does it matter if people have a yard sale every weekend? The city council just wants more control than it needs.

It used to be that people decided what to do with themselves on their own -- and life was okay.

#4.1 Yard sales on 10/06/11 at 01:02 PM [Reply]

They look bad and depending where they are, they could cause traffic/safety problems. To me, the justification is similar for the junked cars ordinance, or our zoning ordinances that determine where businesses can operate.

#5 raleturn on 10/06/11 at 11:02 AM [Reply]

WOW !!! With the number of people unemployed and selling what they have in order to get by it is nice to know that the leaders of the city of Commerce are so compassionate to their plight. It sure would be nice if the leaders could take a page out of the Tea Party's playbook and not get active in the lives of its citizens unless absolutely neccessary.

#6 Commerce Resident on 10/06/11 at 11:08 AM [Reply]

I totally understand the sign problem. Often signs are just left there and it more or less becomes litter. However to dictate when and if a person can have a yard sale is just stupid. There are far to many people struggling economically to be concerned that they might make $50-$100 in a yard sale more than the "allowed" 2 times a year.

#7 Agreed with DT on 10/06/11 at 12:27 PM [Reply]

"However, this should also apply to those members seeking city council, mayor, and other elected positions from posting their signs on rights of way."

Exactly. These election signs are far more numerous and aggravating than yard sale signs here or there.

#8 Joe Christmas on 10/06/11 at 01:51 PM [Reply]

I have a solution to the tackiness of yard sale signs combined with the hypocrisy of sign wielding politicians. Hve every yard sale sign combined with a political endorsement on the same sign. That gets rid of two eyesores with one sign.

#9 CW on 10/07/11 at 08:50 AM [Reply]

wow maybe we need a new mayor and city manager

#10 brandon on 10/08/11 at 07:16 AM [Reply]

commerce govt. needs to concentrate on its self look at downtown you have a tire place that clutters up the sidewalk with car repairs, missing pavers of sidewalk beside jays that an elderly pearson could break an ankle or hip (lawsuit).A burned out hull of a building another lawsuit just waiting to happens, waters furniture needs demoed. Williford street part of it next to ball feild is overgrown fixing to be paved will they pave around the bushes or what.Nobody wants to locate a employment here or move hear to live the town is trashy over regulated mis- managed.I personly catch city workers parked in their trucks behind the old sportswear building hiding out.The police need to patrol the city streets more than 85 more speeding occurs here than on 85.

#11 Jodi on 10/09/11 at 09:15 PM [Reply]

O.K. in the 15 years I have lived here I don't recall a yard sale sign causing an accident. Every yard sale sign that has been posted at the end of my road up near the tracks has always been removed by Saturday night. I have never seen anybody's sign just stay there. Common sense afer a yard sale a person doesn't want strangers knocking on their door. I agree on the 2 times a year policy because nobody wants to live next to a junky yard with people trying to sell junk every weekend. As for the "yard sale" (not flea market)in the dr's parking lot, it is an annual (that means once a year) fundraiser for alzheimers. Get a grip people and lighten up!!! I agree with Brandon, Mr Bryant have you seen how it looks downtown? From Hardees to Jays we look like a "has been" city.

#12 Me on 10/11/11 at 11:52 AM [Reply]

If this is not the dumbest issue to even address!! Find something more pressing to be concerned about.

#12.1 Grinner on 10/13/11 at 05:07 AM [Reply]

How about I move in next door to you and start having a yard sale every weekend, junk strewn across my lawn, cars pulling up in front of your house early Saturday morning, my potential customers walking across your lawn.

Then would you think limiting yard sales to once every 6 months might be a good idea?

#13 Anonymous on 10/12/11 at 03:54 PM [Reply]

It's not like Commerce is a thriving metropolis where jobs are easy to come by. Some people have to do what it takes to keep the lights on, have heat, and put food on the table. Not only that, the thrift store that I shopped at downtown for clothes for an interview was charging almost $10 for a slacks, $5 for a shirt and $40 for shoes compared that to the $4 I spent at a yardsale for similar items. Yard sales don't just benefit the ones holding them, but also single mothers and workers out of jobs that can't afford to buy overpriced clothes and toys at stores. As far as having a yard sale once every 6 months, it's the most ridiculous idea ever. If you have a yardsale in the summer, you can forget about having one 6 months later unless you want to sit outside and freeze. Go ahead Clarence Bryant, stick it to the poor people one more time...

#14 fed up on 10/12/11 at 04:40 PM [Reply]

“We’ve got to do something about our yard sales, the way we do them and the way the public does it,” Bryant told the council.

Yeah because Commerce is going to fall apart because hurting families are trying to find ways to put food on the table. Really? Let's make the poor pay more so we can keep our high paying jobs of enforcing more senseless laws and ordinances. I don't even want to think about how much tax money is going towards gas so officers can ride around searching for illegal yardsales. What a joke.

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