Village to Charge Collection Fees for Abandoned Shopping Carts

The village says it gave supermarkets a chance to work with them in preventing carts from disappearing from lots and jamming up village right-of-ways. It just didn't work out, officials reported at Wednesday night's council meeting. And now companies will have to pay a price.

"I'm putting together a very simple ordinance that will require the collections within a brief time period between 15 and 30 days," Village Manager Ken Gabbert said. The fee paid to the village will cover picking up and storing the cart, he added. "If there's failure to pick up the cart, we'll consider the cart recycling material and processed."

"I think the ordinance is well warranted. We tried to work with those companies. It is a safety and traffic pattern" issue, Mayor Keith Killion, who recommended the measure, reported. "Since we can't get any cooperation, I guess we'll have to go to the ordinance and see."

The village reportedly sent out a letter to the various supermarkets in town alerting them of a possible change and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh questioned Gabbert if he'd heard back any responses. The Manager reported that he was unaware of any, though they may have responded to heads of DPW.

Deputy Mayor Tom Riche said if the village has gone to the expense of picking the carts up and transporting them, the company should pick it up from the village facility. Killion suggested there also be a storage fee to provide incentive for companies to pick the carts up after 30 days.

"They'll run out of carts sooner or later," the mayor said.

"It is not our desire to store them or collect the fee," Gabbert said in closing. "We just want them off the street."

In January, resident Laura Mancusa pleaded with the council to look into doing something about stray shopping carts left all around the CBD.

The 30-year resident said a "limited population" take the carts from Stop & Shop and other supermarkets and leave them where they please, which is both dangerous and a nuisance. Proposed fee figures were not mentioned at the meeting.