Looking for a garage sale in Woodstock?
There is now a new way to find a garage sale. But, first, there is still the old way. Just drive around and look for a Garage Sale sign planted in the right-of-way. The sign to the right is one of the illegal signs in Woodstock.
Why is it "illegal"? It has no City-issued sticker ; it is planted blocks away from the sale; it is placed in the right-of-way of a State highway.
But now there is a second way to find garage sales in Woodstock. Go to the City's website at http://www.woodstockil.gov/ and click on "Garage Sales" in the upper left corner of the homepage.
I am going to be picky about the wording on the Garage Sales webpage. It is not the City's role to publicize or advertise garage sales. Especially not for a $5.00 permit. At the very most, the listing of addresses should be identified only as addresses for which permits were issued.
But should the City even be devoting resources (employee time and City website space) to any garage sale permits issued?
How does the person wishing to hold a garage sale learn of the rules pertaining to sales and signing? Not too easily. But if you are persistent, you can search in the City Code and find the following in Title 3, Chapter 7:
"3.7.3: PERMIT REQUIRED:
"Prior to the start of a garage sale, a permit must be applied for and obtained from the department of community and economic development. An application form for applying for such a permit can be obtained from the department of community and economic development. The fee for a garage sale permit shall be five dollars ($5.00) for each garage sale event. Upon issuance, the garage sale permit shall be visibly posted on the premises. (Ord. 08-0-70, 11-18-2008, eff. 1-1-2009)"
"Prior to the start of a garage sale, a permit must be applied for and obtained from the department of community and economic development. An application form for applying for such a permit can be obtained from the department of community and economic development. The fee for a garage sale permit shall be five dollars ($5.00) for each garage sale event. Upon issuance, the garage sale permit shall be visibly posted on the premises. (Ord. 08-0-70, 11-18-2008, eff. 1-1-2009)"
There is more to it, but I couldn't find Ordinance 08-O-70. A link could be added right on the above webpage to take a viewer to these rules. If you have a lot of time and great patience, perhaps you will be be lucky enough to find the ordinance itself.
It seems to me that the person wanting to hold a garage sale must go in person to City Hall and pay his $5.00. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to download a form, mail in your $5.00 and get the permit by mail, along with the stickers that must be affixed to each Garage Sale sign? Or even complete it online and pay by PayPal?
You can't put signs blocks (or miles) from your driveway.
If you are going to have a garage sale, call City Hall and ask for Community Development. You might want to ask about the fine for blowing off the permit. I don't know what the fine is for violating the Garage Sale rules, but you can bet there is one. If you get a ticket after Woodstock's Administrative Adjudication Court is up and running, that's where you can go to contest it. Before that, it's off to the County Courthouse, if you decide to contest it.
If you are willing to risk $150.00 in court costs at the courthouse to fight a garage sale violation, go for it. Let me know what happens.
2 comments:
I've been informed by Community Development that the round gold "seal" is the City's garage-sale sticker that the sign is legit.
It may be legit, but I'm waiting now for them to tell me how far from the site of a garage sale the signs can be placed.
Well, I would have bet the mayor's last nickel that there was a distance limit on the new garage sale ordinance, but there is not.
My recollection was that, when the City changed the ordinance, it allowed signs to be placed only near the sale, like at the end of the block.
NOT SO. Up to two signs can be placed "off-premises" - anywhere you want (until you run into an angry neighbor or businessowner who says you can't put it on his property). But you can put up to two signs miles from the garage sale site, if you want to.
Now that ought to trash up the City big-time.
There are other new rules, which have now been added to the Garage Sales webpage that you can find from the City's homepage.
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