[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the City of Rye 5-2-1962 by Ord. No. 5-1962 as Art. 6 of Ch. 5 of the General Ordinances. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Unless otherwise expressly provided, the following words shall have the meanings set forth herein:
CART
Includes any cart, basket, container or other device made of wire, metal, wood or other material, mounted on wheels, manually operated and used generally for carting or carrying merchandise or other property.
CITY
The City of Rye.
PERSON
Includes a natural person of either sex, corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, society and any other entity capable of being sued.
PUBLIC PLACE
Includes a street, avenue, road, highway, alley, lane, concourse, driveway, culvert, bridge, mall, sidewalk, crosswalk, park, square and municipal parking area.
Every person who owns or makes available to the public in connection with the conduct of business or trade any cart shall mark or cause the same to be marked and identified conspicuously with the name and address of the owner. 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.
It shall be unlawful for any person, his agent or employee to leave or suffer or permit to be left unattended any cart, either owned by him or in his possession, custody or control, upon any public place.
The Chief of Police of the City shall remove or cause to be removed any cart found upon any public place and shall take the same or cause same to be taken to property of the City where it shall be held until redeemed, sold or otherwise disposed of as hereinafter provided.
Whenever the Chief of Police shall take possession of any cart containing identification of ownership, a notice shall be sent by ordinary mail to such person advising him that such cart is held by the Chief of Police and that said cart may be redeemed upon payment of $5 to the Chief of Police.
The cart may be redeemed by the owner thereof at any time prior to the sale, dismantling, destruction or disposal thereof, and he shall be entitled to receive such cart upon payment of the sum of $5. In addition, the person seeking to redeem shall be required to pay the cost of advertising the sale thereof, if any. No cart shall be delivered to the person seeking to redeem unless proof is submitted establishing, to the satisfaction of the Chief of Police, such person's ownership or right to possession. Any delivery to a person apparently entitled thereto shall be a good defense to the City against any other person claiming to be entitled thereto.
When any cart remains in the custody of the Chief of Police for a period of three months after removal and with respect to which no person has presented to the Chief of Police proof establishing to his satisfaction such person's ownership or right to possession, the City Clerk shall give public notice in the official newspaper of the City that at a specified place and time, not less than five days after such notice is published, such cart will be sold at public auction. The said sale shall be conducted by the Chief of Police or by any employee of his department designated by him. The Chief of Police shall have the power to fix an upset price and other terms and conditions of conducting the public auction, except that the upset price shall not be in excess of the sum of $5 plus the cost of advertising the sale of the cart.
If a cart shall remain unsold at public auction, the Chief of Police may reoffer it again for sale at a subsequent public auction held pursuant to this chapter or he may dismantle, destroy or otherwise dispose of such cart. Any sale or other disposition of such cart pursuant to this chapter shall be without any liability on the part of the City to the owner of the cart or other person lawfully entitled thereto or having an interest therein.
Upon redemption or sale of a cart, the Chief of Police shall pay over to the Comptroller of the City the proceeds thereof with an itemized statement of the costs and expenses thereof. The Comptroller shall retain and credit the general fund of the City with so much of the proceeds as equals the costs and expenses of such sale, plus $5 for the cart sold or redeemed to cover the cost of removing and storing the cart. The remainder of the money, if any, realized from such sale shall be paid without interest to the lawful owner thereof.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any cart which may come into the possession or custody of the Police Department pursuant to any other ordinance, law or regulation.