TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Doug J. Hewett, City Manager
FROM: Brook M. Redding, Special Projects Manager
DATE: January 3, 2023
RE:
Title
Shopping Carts - Research Review and Policy Options
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
ALL
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 4: Desirable Place to Live, Work, and Recreate - Be a highly desirable place to live, work, and recreate with thriving neighborhoods and a high quality of life for all residents.
Executive Summary:
The City of Fayetteville continues to collect, return or dispose of shopping carts left abandoned at bus stops, residential areas and other public property locations. Shopping carts left unattended and abandoned pose a hazard to pedestrians and motorists. Additionally, the collection and return of carts to a business, done by City staff, continues to create operational burdens on multiple departments. The City Council adopted a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the North Carolina Retail and Merchants Association (NCRMA) in April 2020 and expired in May 2021. Despite efforts to educate the public and work with local retailers, the number of carts collected, returned or disposed of has continued to rise.
Background:
City Council reviewed and discussed this item in late 2019. The following summarizes the significant actions and discussions from 2019 to 2022.
August 2019 - April 2020
* Mayor Colvin presented an Agenda Request to discuss errant shopping carts across the City
* Staff conducted research and briefed Council on the findings of the research
* Council directed staff to establish the MOA with retailers operating in Fayetteville
* Retailers and the NCRMA agreed to the revisions of the MOA, staff developed an implementation plan and Council adopted the MOA
* The agreement and actions impacted the number of errant carts; the COVID pandemic began. As pandemic limitations subsided, the number of errant carts steadily increased
May 2020 - October 2022...
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