Summerville residents let loose on proposed yard sale restrictions

Summerville Planning Commission hears disgust over proposal to limit yard sales.

At the Town Council meeting on Wednesday members decided to table a proposal to limit households to one yard sale on only one day every 3 months.  There are also proposed restrictions that people can only sell their own items rather than purchasing things just to resell, and no multi-family yard sales.

At Thursday night’s public hearing people spoke out.

“Please don’t take the fun out of this,“ says Ann Patrick you gets up before dawn every Saturday to go to yard sales with her daughter.

Some questioned the need for the restrictions, “Because we’re not paying taxes on it?“ Phyllis Wixons asks.

She know some people that use yards sales each weekend just to get by in this tough economy.  “They may make $25 a week but guess what, that $25 can put gas in their gas tank.  Maybe they make $50 a week, they’re selling things in their home that they would like to keep.“

Kirk West says the town is over-reacting to a problem created by few people, “You’re trying to hit a fly with a sledge hammer.“