[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Islip 3-25-69 as Local Law No. 3, 1969. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Littering — See Ch. 32.
Abandoned vehicles and vessels — See Ch. 60.
The Town Board of the Town of Islip hereby finds and declares that the unlawful taking, the misuse and the abandonment of shopping carts and similar conveyances is a threat to the protection and preservation of the property of the Town and its inhabitants, constitutes a hazard to the health, safety and general welfare of the populace of the Town, and adversely affects the legitimate conduct of trade and business in the Town of Islip and constitutes a nuisance detrimental to the neighborhood and the community at large.
A. 
Definitions. When used in this local law:
TOWN
Includes all areas within the Town of Islip, exclusive of areas wholly within any incorporated Village.
PERSON
Shall mean an individual, corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, society and other legal entity.
PUBLIC PLACE
Shall mean every class of road, sidewalk, parking lot and other area publicly owned or operated, or privately owned and open to the use of the public or segment thereof, excluding the interior of any building where a "shopping cart" was obtained.
SHOPPING CART
Shall mean a basket, container or other device made of wire, metal or other material, mounted on wheels or hand-carried, manually or otherwise operated, such as is generally provided by merchants for carrying merchandise or foodstuffs to automobiles or other places.
B. 
Usage. Words used in the singular shall include the plural and vice versa. The word "shall" is always mandatory.
A. 
No person may leave or abandon a shopping cart in any public place, as defined herein, or on private property other than the place of the person who makes the shopping cart available to the public. No person may take or remove any shopping cart from the place of the person who makes the shopping cart available to the public. No person may bring, take or propel any shopping cart onto or upon any street, sidewalk, parking field or other public place, as defined herein, or on private property other than the place of the person who makes the shopping cart available to the public.
[Amended 1-2-79 by L.L. No. 1, 1979]
B. 
No person who makes available to the public, in connection with the conduct of business or trade, any shopping cart, shall leave it or suffer or permit it to be left by himself, his agent or other person to whom temporary possession has been permitted by said person, upon any street, sidewalk, parking field or other public place, as defined herein, or on private property other than the place of the person who makes the shopping carts available to the public.
C. 
Nothing in this local law shall be construed to prohibit the use of shopping carts in any place by any person who has been given permission to use the shopping cart by the person who makes the shopping cart available to the public. Such permission must be written and must be produced for inspection upon request of any police officer or peace officer or other public servant who is authorized to issue appearance tickets pursuant to § 150-10 of the Criminal Procedure Law in the course of instituting prosecutions against violators of the Code of the Town of Islip.
[Added 1-2-79 by L.L. No. 1, 1979]
Every person who, in connection with the conduct of a food-dispensing or other establishment or business, makes any cart available to the public, shall mark or cause the same to be marked and identified conspicuously with his name and address. Such identification shall be in the form of a metal tag securely fastened to the cart or a cutting or stamping on the frame of the cart.
A. 
The Superintendent of Highways of the Town or such person whom the Town Board by resolution may appoint shall remove or cause to be removed from time to time any cart found in any public place and shall take custody of same and shall hold it until redeemed, sold or otherwise disposed of as hereinafter provided.
B. 
Whenever the Town shall remove any cart bearing identification of ownership, the Superintendent of Highways or such person whom the Town Board by resolution may appoint shall mail a notice to the owner at the address shown on the identification tag, cut or stamp. Such notice shall advise that such cart or carts may be redeemed upon payment of the sum of ten dollars ($10.) for each cart so redeemed and shall set forth the place for the redemption of such cart or carts or where possession of the same may be procured. Payment for redemption shall be made and a receipt shall be given therefor, which receipt shall entitle such owner to redeem, at the place of storage thereof, one (1) or more carts, as provided for in said receipt, upon surrender of said receipt at the place of storage for such cart or carts. No cart shall be delivered to a person seeking to redeem the same unless proof is submitted establishing, to the satisfaction of the Town, such person's ownership or right to possession. Any delivery to a person apparently entitled thereto shall be a good defense to the Town against any other person claiming to be entitled thereto, but if the person to whom the delivery is made is not in fact entitled thereto, the person to whom the same ought to have been delivered may recover the same with interest and cost from the person to whom the same shall have been delivered.
C. 
If, after fifteen (15) days following the mailing of the notice provided for in § 45-5B hereof, or fifteen (15) days following the removal of a cart bearing no identification of ownership, no person has presented to the Superintendent of Highways or such person as may be designated by resolution of the Town Board, proof establishing to his satisfaction such person's ownership, the Town shall sell such carts at public auction. Notice of such public auction shall be given by publication in the official newspaper of the Town by publication at least once, the first date of publication to be not less than ten (10) days prior to the date of public auction, and shall set forth the time and place of holding such public auction and shall also advise that said carts will be sold at public auction. Such sale at public auction shall be conducted by the Superintendent of Highways or such person as may be designated by resolution of the Town Board.
D. 
In the event that the said property shall remain unsold at public auction, the Superintendent of Highways or such person as may be designated by resolution of the Town Board may reoffer the said property for sale at a subsequent public auction held pursuant to this local law or he may dismantle, destroy or otherwise dispose of this property. Any such sale or other disposition of such property pursuant to this local law shall be without any liability on the part of the Town to the owner of such property or other person lawfully entitled thereto or having any interest therein.
Upon a redemption or sale of a cart, the proceeds shall be deposited in the general funds of the Town.
This local law shall not apply to any cart or personal property which may come into the possession or custody of any department of the Town pursuant to any other ordinance, law or regulation.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this local law shall, for each and every offense, be deemed guilty of a violation and shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars ($25.) for the first offense and by a fine of not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.) for each subsequent offense.
The invalidity of any article, section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or provision of this local law shall not invalidate any other article, sentence, section, paragraph, clause, word or provision thereof.
This local law shall take effect sixty (60) days after enactment.