KING CITY, Calif. (KION-TV) – In a city council meeting Tuesday, King City Council members voted to pass an ordinance to regulate abandoned shopping carts in the city.
“The City has a growing problem with abandoned shopping carts in the community,” Steven Adams wrote in the Agenda report on the issue. “They cause deterioration, pose significant obstacles to pedestrians and vehicles, and detract from the City’s beautification efforts.”
Adams further explains that the problem is taking up a “significant” amount of time that building department employees spend on said abandoned shopping carts. According to the report, building department employees notify store owners when they find abandoned shopping carts and then manually return the carts to the store.
The city originally approved the introduction of the ordinance on August 13, but did not pass the measure until Tuesday’s council meeting.
The ordinance states that shopping carts must display the name of the business owner and their contact details. Shops must display signs informing the public that shopping carts are prohibited. Shopping carts will be locked after closing time. Shopping carts left behind will be confiscated by the city. If they are not picked up, they can be disposed of after 30 days.
Additionally, businesses that fail to pick up their abandoned carts within three business days will be fined by the city council for the cost of picking up the cart. If three carts are left there for more than three days within a six-month period, the owner will be charged an additional $50 fee to release the cart, according to the ordinance.
“The aim of the regulation is to reduce the time staff spend unloading shopping carts,” the agenda item states.
