[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of Metuchen 10-5-1970 by Ord. No. 70-34. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
For the purposes of this chapter, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to
them by this section:
Paved roadways, public rights-of-way, highways and alleys
accepted or maintained by the borough, together with sidewalks, driveways,
municipal parking areas and parking areas owned and operated by the
Parking Authority of the borough.
A cart on wheels commonly provided by retail stores for removing
merchandise therefrom.
Any shopping cart made available for use by
a retail store shall have securely attached thereto a plastic or metal
identification tag 31/2 inches by five inches in size. The number
of the cart, the name and address of the owner and location of the
premises where it is actually available for use shall be legibly printed
on the identification card.
[Amended 5-6-1974 by Ord. No. 74-13]
Any shopping cart abandoned on any public street
or ways shall be removed by the Public Works Department and stored
at the public garage. The Public Works Department shall forthwith
give five days' written notice to the owner of such shopping cart
for redemption of the shopping cart. Carts may be redeemed within
five days from the date of such notice upon payment to the borough
of a fee of $5 for each shopping cart redeemed to cover the cost of
recovery and administration of this chapter.
A.Â
In the event that any shopping cart is not redeemed
within the period of time fixed or is unidentified, the Public Works
Department shall conduct a public sale of such shopping carts by posting
notices in at least five public places, together with legal advertisement
in any of the official newspapers of the borough, fixing a date, time
and terms of public sale to the highest bidder of such property. The
Superintendent of the Department of Public Works shall have the option
of selling any cart for not less than $5.
B.Â
In the event that any shopping cart shall be in a
damaged condition or unsold at public sale, the Public Works Department
may destroy and dispose of such shopping cart.
The Public Works Department shall make monthly
reports to the Mayor and Council and hand over to the Borough Treasurer
the proceeds of all redemptions and sales.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall upon conviction be punished as set forth in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article 1, and each violation shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense. This penalty shall be in addition to any fees for redemption.
