People who post yard sale signs on the public (or railroad) rights of way from now on may face fines in city court.
The Commerce City Council took no action Monday night on altering its policy for permitting yard sales, but city manager Clarence Bryant said Tuesday morning that city staff will be out on Saturdays looking for offenders.
He pointed out that when people apply for the free permit to hold a yard sale they initial in four different places signifying that they understand what they’re reading.
“All of that has to do with where they can and cannot place signs,” he said. “Then they walk out of City Hall and place signs on the public right of way all the way to their home.”
At the council’s work session a week earlier Bryant expressed frustration about people violating city codes by posting yard sale signs along the public rights of way. He asked the council to “think about it” and proposed a $50 permit fee that would be refunded in full to those who do not violate the law.
The item wasn’t on the agenda Monday night, but Molly Labota of Crestwood Village Mobile Home Park brought it up and urged the city to take no action.
“Most people having yard sales are doing it because they need the money,” she said. “Fifty dollars up front would be hard for a lot of them.”
In fact, she said, charging a $50 refundable permit fee would create “more of a boondoggle” for the city in terms of enforcement.
“Having a law on the books hasn’t done anything,” she said. “If there’s a $50 fee, somebody’s going to have to follow up on those people.” She urged the council to “enforce the law that’s on the books now” rather than creating a new law.
Bryant predicted that at the November council meeting “there will probably be people who have gotten tickets.”
There are people who are having yard sales just trying to get a few extra bucks. If yard sale signs are in the right of way and they bother you, take them down and throw them in the trash can.
I wish every councilman would weigh on this. There's an election coming up and we need to know who NOT to vote for. This city has some serious issues, and our leaders are wasting time with yard sales. Ridiculous.
now lets get the city to do something important than whine about a few yardsale signs in fact I have not seen many signs at all this year.
instead of spending & wasting all the money on education 80++++% of our property taxes plus sales tax plus some from income tax maybe the city and county could focus on some much needed cutbacks. stop making huge fincial mistakes like that courthouse complex.