Edison residents worry how new ordinance could affect 65-mile yard sale and other events

EDISON – Edison’s mayor and council members are deciding on an ordinance that would regulate the use of property for events in the city as well as require licenses and regulatory fees for vendors or events that are planned within the city limits.

The ordinance defines an event as “any gathering of two or more persons on real property located within the corporate limits of the city of Edison pursuant to an arrangement by an owner of the premises, or pursuant to a rental of the premises from the owner, where the participants are charged, either directly or indirectly, a fee or other charge or consideration of any kind in order to participate in the event.” Event-holders would have to obtain an annual business license and pay a license or regulatory fee of $100.

A 48-hour notice of an event would have to be given to the chief of Police, and events would not be able to be held within 300 feet of schools, churches or residences.

The Albany Herald obtained an updated ordinance document from the council meeting on May 13 to specify that this does not apply to yard sales like some residents questioned during the meeting.

The mayor and council looked over the document during May’s meeting. Mayor Shirley Worthy said it was sent to them by the city attorney and has a makeup similar to ordinances from surrounding cities.

Several Edison residents are saying no to the proposed ordinance.

They raised concerns about how the ordinance would affect the annual 65-Mile Yard Sale event. The event takes place on the second Saturday of each November and runs from Fort Gaines to Camilla. Edison is the birthplace and hot spot for the sale, attracting hundreds of vendors from small yard sales to larger food trucks each year. Historically, vendors have faced no charges to set up in the city.

Troy Timpson, an Edison resident, said he fears this will drive vendors away from Edison on the one day of the year in which a bit more income is typical for businesses in the rural town from outside visitors.

“Edison has the most people of any town when the yard sale comes through, and if they do what they’re planning to do, they’re going to hurt the businesses that are already here,” Timpson said. “These people make money off the people who come in, but you’d be killing the money.”

Timpson said if the city government starts charging vendors like food trucks, they’ll lose those attractors into the city as they may set up outside of city limits instead.

He was also concerned about what this meant for fundraisers. Timpson regularly receives permission to set up his grill at the Family Dollar parking lot to cook and sell food to raise money for Edison residents in need or for city needs. There is no specific language in the ordinance’s text on how fundraising events would be treated and whether a business license would be needed to operate.

Timpson said he raised $3,000 for the Edison Fire Department in fall 2023 when the department and city were unable to buy a new part for a fire truck, amid an ongoing financial crisis.

“I’m not trying to make money for myself,” Timpson said. “I didn’t take one dime of that money for myself, even though I bought stuff, used my time, my grill. I gave them (the fire department) everything. If the city is going to charge me for a fundraiser, they will not get anything else from me.”

However, at May’s council meeting, Councilman Curtis Adams said food trucks and vendors should be paying to set up within city limits.

“These food trucks come in, set up, sell all their stuff, they make a killing, and they leave,” he said during the meeting. “They do nothing for the town except leave a mess.”

Adams said clean-up falls under the responsibility of the short-staffed Public Works Department.

“That’s manpower that we’re paying for,” he said. “We have to find a way … so that it is not an expense to citizens to pay for all of these folks coming to the 65-Mile Yard Sale.”

Bernard Coleman, an Edison resident who frequently holds events in the city, said he doesn’t understand why the city is creating this ordinance now.

He said he’s used property at Calhoun County High School to host events like car shows before.

“(The city) had no problems with vendors, but all of a sudden this year, there’s an issue,” Coleman said.

In early May, Coleman tried to hold an Edison May Day but was told his vendors would have to get a permit from the city.

“I’d never heard that before,” he said. “I went to the City Hall to ask for an ordinance on private property, and they couldn’t give me one.”

Coleman said his events bring people to Edison.

“I feel like it would be a help to the city – with people coming in, buying food and gas – because they’re low on funds,” he said.

The mayor said safety concerns were raised about large events like the proposed Edison May Day. She said when Edison’s leadership heard that neighboring cities were canceling their events, they were afraid it would cause an influx of people into Edison, which does not have sufficient law enforcement to handle such a large crowd.

Worthy said when she went to the city attorney about ordinances in place to regulate events, she realized they didn’t have any in place.

“We were really concerned,” she said.

Coleman said he has always hired security at his events, but there have been no safety issues.

Worthy said there has to be some kind of ordinance in place with guidelines and regulations where people will have to come to the city to get permits and give notice. It’s a matter of safety.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan
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