Proposed Garage Sales Ordinance Dies

(posted 7.15.09)

The Town of Speedway will continue to rely on Marion County's ordinance to prohibit garage sale signs in the right-of-way. Ordinance 1050 died due to a lack of motion to bring it up for a vote at the July 13 council meeting.

A discussion among council members about the importance of sign placement led to the stalemate. Derek Bland, Speedway's code enforcement officer, said that garage sales signs could be placed in a neighbor's property, but not in the right-of-way. Any sign in the right-of-way is prohibited, so Bland has also been removing real estate signs from the right-of-way and placing them in the yard of the property for sale.

Town Manager Barbara Lawrence said the proposed ordinance defined locations where signs could be located.

Councilor Lu Hillmer led the charge in its defeat by pointing out that the IMS currently posts its parking lot directional signs in the town's right-of-way. "The IMS is going to be in trouble then." She told Bland, "Derek, you better get ready to cite them. They (directional signs) are all in the right-of-way."

Hillmer said the issue was not a big deal because Speedway had only seven garage sales in the week prior to the meeting. She contended the ordinance was created out of one or two complaints. "I think it is a waste of time." She said the county ordinance covering signs in the right-of-way has never been enforced in Speedway.

"I think it is going to make more people mad than it's worth," she said, adding that signs have been in the public right-of-way for years.

Councilor Gary Raikes said he did not want to inhibit garage sales, but he wanted the ordinance to keep the town looking nice. He thought the ordinance would give teeth to enforcement if abuses occurred.