Garage Sale Signs – How far???

Whatever possessed the holder of a garage sale at 14411 Ryan Court to trash up Woodstock on Sunday morning with bright red, gaudy, garage sale signs all the way west on South Street from the railroad tunnel?

Do you think that maybe, just maybe, residents know that Woodstock’s Code Enforcement Officer doesn’t work week-ends, and so they are in the clear to put up their signs far from home?

The signs for the garage sale at 14411 Ryan Court were about 2’ x 3’ and were tacked to utility poles and posts at South & Madison Sts., South & Dean Sts., South & Throop Sts., South & Tryon Sts., South & Hayward Sts., South & Putnam Sts., South & Gerry Sts. and there were directional arrows at on South St. at Tara Dr., south of Tara Dr. and south of Duvall Dr.

What Woodstock needs is a garage sale ordinance with some teeth in it and some muscle behind it.

We’re at the beginning of the garage sale season, and it looks like we’re behind the curve already. The City Scene may have carried an article about garage sale signs, but how many people read it from cover to cover?

Here’s what Woodstock should do… Buy some advertising space in The Woodstock Independent and the Northwest Herald. Publicize the garage sale ordinance. Include a strong message in the required $2.00 garage sale kit/permit that a garage sale holder “must” buy from the City.

And then do something about it. And publicize the enforcement activities. With photographs.

Last year I inquired – read, “inquired” – about the legality of removing illegal signs from the public right-of-way in Woodstock. Man, did I get slammed! I had emailed the Chief of Police to ask if it would be illegal. The City Manager replied and sternly admonished me to refrain from removing any signs that were not on my own property. Now that was pretty clear… Why would I want to get arrested for cleaning up Woodstock?

I thought the reply was quite strongly worded, when a simple “It would be unlawful…” would have sufficed. After all, I was asking the question...

OK, so what does the garage sale ordinance say? Go to www.woodstockil.gov, click on City Code, search for “garage sale.” Generally speaking, you’ll find that you must have a $2.00 permit and you’d better apply for it on the right City form. Gee, how much does that cost us? Before anyone cries “revenue raising”, calculate how much the City loses by having this ordinance in the first place.

It seems to me that I read an ordinance that limits the distance from the actual garage sale for the placement of advertising signs. I can’t find it on the City’s website at the moment, but I recall that signs could only be placed at the end of the block from the location of the sale. Putting up numerous signs more than a mile from the sale is certainly past that limit!

How should Woodstock enforce the sign limit? First of all, just let residents take down the illegal signs. Direct the beat police officers to relay information to the Code Enforcement Officer about violations and direct him to take enforcement action. If the beat officer has time, direct him to pay a friendly visit on the garage-sale sign violator and briefly explain the ordinance. He could “suggest” that the owner go immediately and remove unlawful signs.

We don’t want police officers tied up on nuisance calls about ordinances, when they have higher priority calls. Sunday mornings in Woodstock? Not much going on…