2017 Proposed Shopping Cart Controls Ordinance - PowerPoint Presentation

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2017 Proposed Shopping Cart Controls OrdinanceSlide2

Shopping Cart Abandonment TeamKim Corbin- Property Maintenance DepartmentJennifer Herman- Assistant City Attorney

Gene Prevatt- Sanitation Bureau ChiefJonas Subar- SCMPD Management AnalystMargaret

Williams- City Manager’s OfficeSCpl Tracy Walden, SCMPD2Slide3

Shopping carts that accumulate outside the property of the business providing the carts cause a nuisance condition to City residents and City departments when the carts end up in neighborhoods, canals and ditches and on City right-of-ways.

The Issue

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Georgia Law - code O.C.G.A. § 16-8-21“makes it a misdemeanor for any person to remove a shopping cart from the premises of the legal owner without permission and to abandon a shopping cart upon any public street, sidewalk, right of way, or parking lot other than a parking lot on the premises of the owner

.”

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A

b

ando

ned Shoppi

ng Carts by

Retai

ler

(

A

ugust

20

1

3–

December

2

013)Store#CartsStore#CartsStore#CartsKroger459Save-A-Lot31Petsmart2Big Lots88Family Dollar20Staples2Wal-Mart82Piggly Wiggly16Steve & Barry1Target73Dollar General10Unknown157Red & White64K-Mart9  Food Lion35Home Depot7  

2013 Field Study - 1,056 Carts

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2016 - 2017- City received 545 calls to 311 to remove abandoned carts

Estimated annual cost for Sanitation Crew to recover carts $173, 943

Personnel

$

120,445.50 –

operator

,

one senior

and o

ne sanitation worker

Vehicle $53,498

–

operation/maintenance i.e. depreciation

,

fuel

,

etc

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Recommendation Proposed City Shopping Cart Ordinance

Sec

. 9 Chapter 2. Nuisances PurposeTo provide for the prompt retrieval of lost, stolen or abandoned shopping carts in order to eliminate blight and improve the image and appearance of the city. It

is the purpose of this ordinance to have the owners and operators of businesses providing shopping carts to use the means available to them to deter, prevent or mitigate the removal of shopping carts from their business premises. It is the further purpose of this ordinance to prevent the illegal removal of shopping carts from the business premises.

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All merchants with 10 are more carts must adhere to the following:Mandatory registration of all carts with a cart prevention and retrieval plan submitted annually to Revenue with

business license renewal. Plan must include:

Owner/store manager contact informationCart inventory Carts must be tagged with store log/identifier and owner information

Cart site containmentSpecific loss prevention measures such as wheel locks, dedicated staff to retrieve carts, etc.Specific retrieval planScheduled time/day of off premise cart pick

upMerchant Requirements

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GOAL9

Enact an ordinance that requires merchants to retrieve their abandoned shopping carts in a specified time period

Information campaign to remind citizens that it is a crime to remove carts from owners propertyWork with community partners to provide cart alternatives to seniors

… Preserve vibrant, livable, sustainable neighborhoods where Savannahians live with pride.

PLAN

Process

Code Enforcement notifies merchant about abandoned carts

Merchant has 72 hours to remove carts after contact

If City has to remove carts they will be disposed of and merchant charged Slide10

Enforcement & Penalties

The Shopping cart ordinance will be enforced by the City’s code enforcement department.

Failure

for any business to comply with the requirements of this ordinance shall result in a fine not to exceed $500.

The

business shall also be subject to costs incurred by the city in retrieving its shopping carts, as established yearly in the city's Revenue Ordinance

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RECOVERY FEES

Each cart $375

More than one cart : $375 plus $125 on each additional cart in same recovery effortSlide11

Questions? 11