Planning commission fails to convince council

Planning Commission Chairman Alec Allen and member Keith Mengel, along with the presence of commissioners Tim Banfield, Kara Wills and Ken Oates, and on the council, liaison to the commission Jim Dyer, bolstered by support from citizen Kathy Smith and city zoning administrator Natalie Dean, failed to convince a majority of the Marshall City Council to adopt a new ordinance regulating garage sales. Speaking up at last night's city council meeting's public hearing against the proposed ordinance that would have limited such sales to three times per year lasting no longer than three days each were citizen Kathy Miller and Marengo Township residents Creighton Burrows and Gardy Berezosky. The lengthy explanations in favor of the ordinance unanimously recommended by the Planning Commission resembled a filibuster attempt to urge passing of the new regulation of such sales that Allen and Dean admitted generate few complaints. "I'm not sure I'm willing to accept ours is in crisis yet," said Mayor Bruce Smith about the city's issue with alleged perpetual sales. "I think it's a bad idea," said Fourth Ward Trustee Matt Glaser. "What's a garage sale? A guy who chains four tires to a tree with a for sale sign or four or five tables in the yard? I've never seen a problem like this in this town. It's silly. You're getting into miniscule regulation that's impossible to enforce." Second Ward Trustee Mike Kinter said he agreed with Glaser.
"When I lived on Mansion Street, I couldn't open my gift shop out of my house," he said. "I don't think we need another level of bureaucracy here." He said ordinances regulating unlicensed vehicles and junk are already difficult to enforce. The vote ended in a 6-1 result with only Jim Dyer, former planning commission chairman, voting yes.