Too many garage sales? Inver Grove Heights considers limit

Inver Grove Heights officials are considering limiting the number of garage sales residents can hold each year.

[Smartass]

Don't you city officials get it ? People are holding garage sales to help make ends meet. But the businesses are the ones who got your ear not the people. Besides you stop those who in need from finding somethng they can afford. Buying and selling helps the econ.

[Bulldozer]

There ain't no sales tax in garage sales so the city ain't making any money off of them.And there ticked off because of it.So they want to put a limit on them.so you don't make any money.

[John]

I live in So. St. Paul and when I come home from work I see a place on the corner of 5th ave. and 494 that is always having a sale. It looks like most of the stuff they are trying to sell is junk. I sure wish city officals would practice the limit.

[Dragg]

Another petty thing people in Minnesota focus on. There's many other things people can focus on like teaching kids stealing is wrong, getting the word out that tailgating when driving is dangerous, cover your mouth when you cough (major problem here).

If people here would spend more time trying to be nice and friendly instead of being mean and trying to find minute things to attack, Minnesota would be a better place.

Let people get rid of their junk and get a little socialization while doing so. Maybe that's part of the problem in the first place - lack of socialization skills. Too many garage sales? Laughable!

[The Big Bopper]

New jobs will be created. The city will have to buy a vehicle for the New hire to drive around in. That person will watch (and count) how many garage sales the resident has. There will be policies and procedures for fining the resident, a grievance procedure, etc, etc. Of course we'll now need a Grievance Council made up of hired government officials. Here are those new jobs Obama promised you!

[GroovyGirlinMN]

Amen - I live in that area nearby and my neighbor has 4 or 5 sales a year - it really disrupts traffic on my busy street - last time I had some fool blocking my driveway.

I can understand trying to make ends meet but people should be more considerate of their neighbors.

John wrote:

I live in So. St. Paul and when I come home from work I see a place on the corner of 5th ave. and 494 that is always having a sale. It looks like most of the stuff they are trying to sell is junk. I sure wish city officals would practice the limit.

[Doubting Thomas]

Maybe I'm not creative enough or I'm just to busy trying to make ends meet to think of this kind of stuff.

How do you look at a Garage Sale and think "this kine of activity should be regulated?"

I agree with the person and sales tax but feel that income tax will be vehicle to collect taxes. This is the first step in making that happen. The next will be a Garage Sale Permit, where there will be a line item to report income from sale.

[havegunjoe]

Why oh why does government think they have to stick their nose in every aspect of our lives? As one un-employed father said it helped make ends meet. Wouldn't it be nice if law makers instead of creating more useless laws spent their time getting rid of some instead.

[NightRider]

I DO NOT want to see all your used, broken junk and stained clothing in my neighborhood. I don't think people are having sales to "make ends meet" for the most part. I know some people who travel from garage sale to garage sale, buying "stuff" to resell at their garage sale. What kind of sense is that?

If you all really want to help those in need get things that you have and don't need anymore --- DONATE it to goodwill. Don't make my neighborhood look like a trash heap!

[Bulldozer]

Doubting Thomas wrote:

Maybe I'm not creative enough or I'm just to busy trying to make ends meet to think of this kind of stuff.
How do you look at a Garage Sale and think "this kine of activity should be regulated?"
I agree with the person and sales tax but feel that income tax will be vehicle to collect taxes. This is the first step in making that happen. The next will be a Garage Sale Permit, where there will be a line item to report income from sale.

Please don't give them any Ideas.

[SDW]

Doubting Thomas got it right. Garage sale permits were instituted where I live because of people holding sales every week. These sales were not people trying to make ends meet, it was people buying up confiscated storage lockers. We're allowed 2 a year personally and 2 a year for our neighborhood as a whole. And for the person that said how can they tell how many you have, when you have to pull a permit for them, it's right there on the computer, no one is driving around looking.

[Cindy Stainker]

havegunjoe wrote:

Why oh why does government think they have to stick their nose in every aspect of our lives? As one un-employed father said it helped make ends meet. Wouldn't it be nice if law makers instead of creating more useless laws spent their time getting rid of some instead.

That's what government does best.

[Magda]

There is a house across the street where I live in Hague Ave between Fisk and Victoria St that belongs to a church. The church members who live in that house do yard sales every year. Their clients usually block my driveway.

People deserve to live in peace in their home, but when they have to deal with this type of a nuisance problem, how can they have peace when they have to see a number of trucks, vans, and other vehicles coming and going all day?

[Bert]

I live near the guy who has garage sales on Southview Blvd & Oakdale Ave. Traffic is bad enough on that corner. His sales always add to that congestion. After the sale, he puts signs on stuff that say "free". I also think he has them more often than monthly. Seems like he's always got junk in his yard.

[Mike]

Budget cuts are needed, if they have all that extra money to spend worrying about a non-problem it's time for budget cuts, I bet all crime is over down that way, just have a 50% across the board cut, start trimming the fat, if they didn't have so much extra money laying around they would just do their jobs, not sit around trying to invent new things to spend cash on, throw the bums out..
We are going to try to vote out the clown mayor we have here in st. paul next month, hope he goes downs the road, time for common sense..