City puts limits on yard sales

Planning on having a yard sale? Better get a permit. The City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the city's ordinances in response to complaints about ongoing "permanent" yard sales that have cropped up around the city.

[Frank]

Instead of this, why not tell the trucks to beat it, Yard sales are in front of a house, I'm pretty sure a truck isn't pulling up in front of a random house and selling.

[ANGRY RESIDENT]

GOOD LORD DOES LOWELL HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO WHY DONT YOU WORRY ABOUT ALL THE FIGHTS AND GUNSHOTS AT LAKEVIEW AVE C'S SPOTS BAR WE HAVE CHILDREN AROUND HERE YET THE CLUB CONTINUES TO BE OPEN WEEKEND AFTER WEEKEND GET YOUR STUFF TOGETHER LOWELL

[Bob]

How about the pols making sure that all of THEIR campaign signs are removed in a timely manner! I still see signs lying around from the last election that nobody came to take away after election day. This is a much bigger problem than yard sale signs that are left out after the sale is over.

[AmericanMade]

there was probably a reason to enact this ordinance in ur town. I've seen people have yard sales almost every freakin weekend and it's turned into a unlicensed business. Here they enforce the limit by requiring a 5.00 permit each time.

[cant take much more]

The city goes up on my taxes, makes me pay allied waste for removal of bulk items, the city for extra trash and now they are telling me i can't sell something in my own yard without paying for a permit because some people are selling things out of trucks? Do I have to pull a permit to sell my car that's in my driveway too. get real. All your fee's are killing me.
Who's going to police this issue,anyhow? Are the police going to swarm neighborhoods on the weekends looking for yard sale permits? Ridiculous, seriously.

[AmericanMade]

cant take much more wrote:

Who's going to police this issue,anyhow? Are the police going to swarm neighborhoods on the weekends looking for yard sale permits? Ridiculous, seriously.

Don't you have a code enforcement officer in ur town? That's who usually does it. Or the police officers can be on the look out during their routine neighborhood patrols.

[Lowell]

ANGRY RESIDENT wrote:

GOOD LORD DOES LOWELL HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO WHY DONT YOU WORRY ABOUT ALL THE FIGHTS AND GUNSHOTS AT LAKEVIEW AVE C'S SPOTS BAR WE HAVE CHILDREN AROUND HERE YET THE CLUB CONTINUES TO BE OPEN WEEKEND AFTER WEEKEND GET YOUR STUFF TOGETHER LOWELL

Well maybe you should be attending the neighborhood meetings that are held monthly and listen to the police report stating they receive "NO CALLS" pertaining to any problems with that bar!!!!!

[Frank]

AmericanMade wrote:

<quoted text>Don't you have a code enforcement officer in ur town? That's who usually does it. Or the police officers can be on the look out during their routine neighborhood patrols.

You're obviously not from around here. Not even close. The last thing cops want to do is patrol yard sales. They have a hard enough time keeping up with the drug sales.
I think the code enforcement officer is driving tow trucks or wiring apartments, he's got enough side work to stay busy.

[Jim]

they simply found another way to create a new fee(tax) and it has nothing to do with yard sales.

Hawkers, Vendors and Peddlers already need permits, so this is simply a revenue stream to go after the residents

[Curious]

Jim wrote:

they simply found another way to create a new fee(tax) and it has nothing to do with yard sales.
Hawkers, Vendors and Peddlers already need permits, so this is simply a revenue stream to go after the residents

There is no fee. Rita Mercier talked the manager into only requiring a permit. The manager backed down on the $5 fee. Thank you Rita!!!!

[Disgusted]

This city is unbelievable!!! With all that goes on in this CRAZY city...we're worrying about YARD SALES!!! GET A GRIP COUNCILORS! WHAT A JOKE!!

[Lucy]

Has anyone ever lived next to a weekend yard sale junkie? Well I have. I lived in neighborhood in Centerville, where a woman would hold a yard sale every sunny Saturday. Her signs littered the neighborhood along with all the traffic and parked cars.
I believe these are the people the City is targeting. The fee is small price to pay considering the profit made it is taxable income.

[Disgusted]

Thats what you get for living in Centerville, should have tore down the neighborhood when the Tavern at the Bridge came down! JK

[denman]

I have garage sale now-then ,I sell stuff cheap. it helps people that are low income including myself!!!!
Ask some of the homless people about the clothes or blankets Ihave givin them from my little garage sale.WHY does the city want people to stop helping people???? nobody getting rich at yard sales!!!!maybe if I had a city job with fat pay check and PENSION I would pick on small guy too!!!! no- live free or die .

[Basket Case]

Darn, and I was in the market for a good used yard.

[angry taxpayer lowell]

i can't believe this is happening, i pay my taxes and i can't have a yard sale on my driveway once a year. the city councilors need their heads examined, only rita mercier is sane. if there is a problem with trucks coming into lowell & having yard sales every weekend, than deal with that only and charge them. the people that have a yard sale once a year should not be punished because of permanent yard sales.

[Sla]

Curious wrote:

<quoted text>There is no fee. Rita Mercier talked the manager into only requiring a permit. The manager backed down on the $5 fee. Thank you Rita!!!!

I dont have yard sales,

But Rita always does the right thing,
Its a good thing people always vote for her,
They know who will be on there side.

Have,A, Nice, Day,

[Sla]

The City, Should have a yard sale at City Hall,

Starting whit the city managers office,

Have, A, Nice, Day,

[Bill Mumphrey]

It's about time, I know I can sleep easy knowing the city has brought an end to rogue yard sales. I was once traveling along minding my own business until a yard sale sign caught my eye. I followed the instructions of the crude advertisement, and soon found myself at someones yard, however much to my dismay there was no sale. As my foundations were being rattled by feelings of shock and horror, the roller coaster like ride of excitement ended with a harsh low, that is the realization that the sign was old and I had missed the opportunity to obtain the treasures of a fellow Lowellian. The worst part is just a few days later I saw a brilliant beacon on a telephone poll, a sign informing all who passed by of a "PIG ROAST TODAY", I never followed that sign, and I'll never know if I could have enjoyed roasting a pig with strangers.

[dirtbag]

the fact that this story is showing up in the Berkshire Eagle must mean that Ruberto is sending an early warning that he has found one more way to harass Pittsfield residents. I imagine the rubber stamp council has already agreed to push it through for him.