Council shelves garage sale bylaw

July 17, 2014

Frank Anrep from the Bancroft Fish and Game Association appeared in lederhosen and Tyrolean cap to announce that the club will stage an Oktoberfest party at their Highway 62 property on the first Saturday of October.

By Tony Pearson Special to This Week

Bancroft town council, at its meeting last week, considered a draft bylaw that would have restricted the number of garage sales in the municipality, and required the purchase of a $10 license for every sale held.
However, they decided to send it back for more study and review, with no date set for its reconsideration.
“It’s not our intention to set up a new bureaucracy,” said finance chairman Paul Jenkins.
The proposed bylaw, based on one in effect in Dungannon before amalgamation, was prompted by complaints that some people were in effect running a home business by holding sales every weekend, creating excess neighbourhood traffic and cutting into regular town businesses.
However, Councillor Jenkins noted that requirements to obtain and display a permit for every yard sale would create so much red tape that enforcement would cost more than the permit fees would bring in.
Staff will now consider a system based on public input on abuses of garage sales, rather than a universal system.
Mayor Bernice Jenkins joined with councillors in thanking the organizers of Wheels, Water and Wings, an event she labelled “awesome”.
She also thanked Tracy McGibbon and the volunteers who staged the Canada Day party, including the Legion.
More congratulations went to those in charge of the Bridge Street renovation for a job done well and on time, and to the Bridge Street merchants for their street activity programs during the bridge closure.
A salute was also given for the new town mural.
Mayor and council also re-asserted their support for TROUT, the public transit service.
Mayor Jenkins noted upcoming challenges at the county level, particularly in the health-care field, where the supply of long-term care beds was not keeping pace with the demands of an aging population in the area; the county must press the new provincial government to address the shortfall. On the positive side, she also noted increasing co-operation among municipalities in developing shared services such as bulk purchasing, information technology, and insurance, as well as working on a joint approach to rising OPP charges for policing.
One aspect of county government on which Councillor Peter Whitehead wanted more attention was the location of county services, and the jobs that go with them.
Observing that Hastings had its headquarters in Belleville, which isn’t actually in the county, he felt a greater effort should be made to spread the jobs around. Mayor Jenkins countered that most county agencies have offices in Bancroft, more so than any other township in North Hastings. She promised to keep an eye out for more opportunities in future.
In other business, council passed the financial plan for Bancroft’s drinking water system, which means that there will be no increase in water rates at this time.
The CAO reported that the town experienced a high volume of property standard complaints last month, but that property owners notified about standards have been complying.
As a result of a new litter management system and employee, the landfill site is considerably cleaner and largely gull-free. However, the box bailer is again out of action, and a decision must be made on whether to attempt repair or adopt a different system.
On a celebratory note, Frank Anrep from the Bancroft Fish and Game Association appeared in lederhosen and Tyrolean cap to announce that the club will stage an Oktoberfest party at their Highway 62 property on the first Saturday of October.
Plans include German music, food, paraphernalia – and of course, beer (if it’s ready in time, this will include the new Bancroft micro-brewery).
The organizers are hoping to draw 150 people this fall, and if successful, far more in subsequent years, with a consequent increase in publicity and business for Bancroft. Council wished the effort well, and promised to check about the availability of township tents.