New Paris council, chamber work out garage sale promotion

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NEW PARIS — The New Paris Area Chamber of Commerce met with the New Paris Village Council during their meeting on Monday, Oct. 5, to discuss how the village and chamber should work together to promote and prepare for village garage sales.

The discussion centered around who should be responsible for the signs promoting garage sales and how the chamber and village should work together to set a date for the sales.

Becky Jordan, New Paris Area Chamber of Commerce President, said that village councilmember Peggy Bishop had attended the previous chamber meeting, and the discussion about garage sales came up.

The only recollection that could be made was that Bill Sweet and Dale Hall had put the signs up, but otherwise, nobody knew who had been in charge of it in the past or who was expected to be in charge.

“We have no problem promoting the garage sales, but being that it’s the city-wide garage sales and all that, we feel like you guys should be in charge of determining when the city wants to hold that for whatever you guys have going on with street things,” Jordan said. “So, I just thought I’d come in, put it on the record, that way everybody’s straight moving forward that the New Paris Area Chamber of Commerce/CVB is not responsible, or has not been responsible, for actually deciding the garage sale days.”

Councilmember Mary Jane Thomas said she believed the chamber was responsible.

“Like I said, we can go all day long about this or that. I haven’t been alive longer than 32 years. So, I can’t tell you what’s gone on in the past or anything like that. All I can tell you is over the last four years that I’ve been on the chamber, we’ve had this discussion every single year. Everybody disagrees every single year,” Jordan said. “We don’t have a place to store any of the signage. We don’t have an actual building or location. The back of our cars is the best that we have.”

Jordan later reiterated that Sweet has been the one to put signs out, and questioned what happens if he decides to “fly south for the winter,” and who would then put the signs out.

“I’m coming on behalf of the chamber to explain that we, as of the last two years, have not handled that,” she said. “I think that it’s great if we can work together and we can promote that as we are involved with trying to bring people into town. But, since you guys know your streets and what’s going on with those and what’s going on with the city as a whole, you guys being able to pick those dates that work best for our community, and then letting us know, will work out the best.”

A motion was then presented by Mayor Kathy Smallwood to set dates for garage sales, to store signs, and update them every year as soon as they feel its safe to promote village-wide garage sales.

Thomas added that the dates should be set for the second Saturday in May and October, and the motion was then made, seconded and approved 6-0.

In other business

The council passed the following ordinances on their third and final reading: Ordinance 2020-07, animal control ordinance; Ordinance 2020-08, to establish a records retention policy; Ordinance 2020-09, to assign public records training designee; and Ordinance 2020-10, to adopt clothing allowance reimbursement. Additionally, a first reading was held for Ordinance 2020-12 for the personnel handbook.

Regular transfers were approved to the police fund and street department fund.

The next New Paris Village Council meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the City Building.

By Braden Moles

[email protected]

Reach Braden Moles at 937-683-4056 or on Twitter @BradenMoles

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