The New Iberia City Council hosted a public hearing Tuesday night about yard sales.
At the council's most recent meeting, an ordinance was introduced that would put limits on yard sales in the city limits.
Officials tell KATC that the problem may be limited to one or two residents who sell items out of their yard on an almost constant basis. The response to that by one council member was to craft an ordinance that would require free permits for yard sales, and limit the number any one residence could host during a calendar year.
Tuesday's meeting was just a hearing on the ordinance; council members did not vote on nor discuss the ordinance tonight. According to Councilwoman Brooke Scelfo Marcotte, two residents spoke on the ordinance.
"They leave their stuff set up all throughout the yard. Then trash blows through out the neighborhood, they have cars constantly in and out of the neighborhood. That's the burden they are facing living next to these residents" Councilwoman Brooke Scelfo Marcotte said.
The ordinance would make it illegal:
(1) For any person to conduct any yard sale without a permit issued pursuant to the prior section.
(2) For any person to conduct any yard sale while that person owes fines for previous violations of this Article.
(3) For any person to conduct a single yard sale extending a period in excess of two days.
(4) For any yard sale to begin before sunrise or extend past sundown.
(5) For more than four yard sales to be held on the same residential property within one calendar year.
(6) For any person to sell or offer for sale at any yard sale any items purchased for resale.
(7) For any person to sell or offer for sale at any yard sale any item not intended primarily for personal or household use.
(8) Sell or offer for sale at any yard sale more than one motor vehicle.
(9) For any person to post yard sale signs more than 24 hours before the beginning of the sale, or fail to remove signs advertising the yard sale after the conclusion of the yard sale.
(10) For any person to promote a yard sale by signs posted on utility poles or on private property without the property owner’s permission.
(11) For any person to store yard sale items and display tables outside of a building, except when a yard sale is being conducted.
The ordinance also makes the homeowner or renter responsible for "providing adequate parking, for preventing blockage of streets or sidewalks and for removing all leftover items, trash, debris and yard sale signs."
"When there is a garage sale there, you're going to see a lot of traffic" Richard Phillips tells KATC, yard sales are an issue in his neighborhood.
"It was like almost a perpetual one, it has since dissipated or gone away," his neighbor, John Berard, said.
Phillips hopes the city council regulates the yard sales.
"They have continuous yard sales, without an ordinance, you have chaos."
Others in his area, disagree.
"Tie the police up to be monitoring who is selling an old mattress every weekend, I think it unnecessary at this time, maybe if we had a perfect world to live in, then you can spend time to do that," Berard said.
Others say the city has more issues to deal with.
"Piddling with a yard sale permit is kind of ridiculous to me" Tim DeClouet said.
