This is another "tail-wags-the-dog" attempt to get a name on a bill who's issue at its core has a law governing it: Thou shalt not steal! Why not just impose legislation to ban the use of shopping carts altogether! This is another "fine", "tax", "levy" that will be passed along to the consumer. Lets just push for better enforcement of the law that bans people from walking away with the shopping carts in the first place. How about setting up a little sting at the local recycling center and locking up every one in possession of a stolen cart. That oughta just about clear up the littering of carts.

We can pass a bill on for a stupid fee for grocery carts, but can’t get thing done the people want. No wonder most politicians are hated.
What about:
1. Trucks on Dundalk, Holabird, Wise Ave and other local streets they should not be on
2. Section 8 housing and the demise of Dundalk
3. Revitalization of Dundalk and the forgotten Logan Shopping Center

Since September 2009 the volunteers of Clean Bread and Cheese Creek have removed and recycled 138 shopping carts from a little over three miles of Historic Bread and Cheese Creek. The section we have targeted for our September 24th stream cleanup has 28 more shopping carts in it currently. Over 95% of these carts clearly have the name of the store imprinted directly on them. When Senator Norman Stone called one of these stores and politely asked them to retrieve their carts we had just removed (which were still in great condition), they told him “No”. To the see the damage shopping carts are causing to our environment we invite you to view photos on out Flickr Site of all our past environmental cleanups. http://www.flickr.com/photos/39935127@N05/collections/72157622687935254/ Remember this is less than a 4 mile stretch of a single stream…

I think its a safe bet that the stores themselves are NOT dumping the carts. make the stores lock the carts up. paying a fee does NOT fix the problem. tell the retiree that is on a fixed income they need to now pay a fee to use a cart to get their groceries. find a solution to problem, not a band aid to cover it up.

With all the issues facing the county and we're down to discussing shopping carts.

Sorry Tim, I'm down here now. Found my first typo?

Could it be that the newly released crime stats missed the cart on this one?

Now as I recall a homeless shopping cart is found property. Further more, police property rooms are full of found property much of it recovered as a result of a crime.

Interesting quote here, ""Whoever was responsible for that cart being there would pay more than what it's costing your department to go get them," Olszewski told Jablon."

The person responsible for the cart being where its not suppose to be is the one WHO STOLE IT!

Where is Chief Johnson and his podium when you need him?

No matter how mundane it may appear taking anothers property albeit a shopping cart it is a crime.

The stores are the victims of these thefts, not the perpetrators.

Mr. Olszewski begs the question of who is responsible for the cart being there, indicating they would be responsible for the cost of returning them.

According to Joblon who can't seem to identify those responsible for delivery of fliers despite the fact all of the information is on them, how do you plan to identify the cart thief.

Now here is the kicker. It is a crime to abandoned a automobile in Baltimore County and there are tons of them. Mr. Jablon might release the figures on those owners who have been charged, if he can find one.

I thought I heard a podium just fall over.

I think that they should think about having all shopping cats with a fee to use it and the fee is returned when you bring it back. Like the ALDI. You don't see those carts all over the lot or on the streets. It's amazing what people will do for a quarter. They do this in Europe.
Also, when I was at the Shoppers this past weekend I noticed a sign in the parking lot stating that all the parimeters of the shopping center and the carts have sensors on them and if the shopping carts go past the censors the will lock and be unusable. Thought that was a cleaver idea!

the technology for "a quarter to use the cart... and the quarter returned when the cart is returned" has been around for decades. Unfortunately stores don't want to spend the money for that equipment. What a shame! I can remember kids who would hang out at the store parking lots offering to return carts for shoppers in the hopes of collecting all those quarters!
Since stores consistently write off the cost of lost carts, they don't see the need to do anything about this. UGH!
By the way, when the county does retrieve "stolen property," isn't it returned to the owner? We should be doing the same with the carts! And it isn't (or shouldn't be) OPTIONAL! Stores need to be grateful to get a $200+ item returned to them, especially when they are VERY usable!

"Then you have an accident or maybe a fatality and it's not worth it," Olszewski said."

The last time I checked, before I was so rudely retired, the Traffic Section did not keep stats on shopping cart fatalities.

In all fairness I did find a link from 2008. Anna the link does reference you 25 cent concept.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18624893

As to the return of the STOLEN property issue, that was the way it was done once upon a time. I might check out the Blue Book to see what the departments policy is regrading finding stolen property.

I know I'm sick and tired of paying more for things and having more laws imposed on me because of the thieves and crooked people of this state. This is not the fault of the stores. It is because of the thieves in our communities that take the carts and do not return them.
Find another way. Put your thinking caps on "elected officials". Find a program that works and duplicate it. Stop taxing and imposing fines on the innocent!
Mars don't have this problem because they can't get them out past the poles. BJ's & Aldi use the quarter system, no carts in their lots.

I live in Loch Raven Village and I am sick and tired of pushing carts back into Towson Market Place. It is a daily occurrence. Individuals take them to the bus stops and generally leave them overturned. I often wonder what people do when they get off the bus.

Depending on the store manager, Walmart is fairly good at retrieving carts. Target managers, on the otherhand, tell me the carts will be retrieved when they have time, which can take several days.

Some days I see carts at all five bus stops around the Towson Market Place and they can sit there for days. It is a very large problem in Loch Raven Village.

Possibly if the stores or the shopping center were fined, they'd keep a better watch over the shopping carts.

Gretchen, I'm afraid I will have to take issue with you on this one. I can understand your frustration with the carts and the problems they have created.

Say for example someone stole you car and left it abandoned somewhere. A person calls the police and reports the abandoned vehicle. Instead of notifying you that they recovered your stolen vehicle they show up and charge you with abandoning it.

The business owners are victims of a crime. These carts are actually stolen property which should be handle as such by the police.

You are suggesting that victims of crime be further victimized by a government who lacks the ability to search for some proven and reasonable solutions to this problem.

If the problem is so grate and well documented by the police, they should have the capability to deal with it in the same way they have a abandoned auto unit. What is interesting is they do not charge the owners of these junk cars with leaving them abandoned on our streets.

Another way would be to show the various business owners proven ways to deal with this ongoing problem. Education is a great crime fighting tool.

OK, first a store owner has his property stolen and the government's response is to charge the store owners to get it back. The Democrat's war on small business continues.

First, let’s identify the problem. Carts are being left all over the county. Let’s not get into who is the victim, who is responsible, who should suffer; rather, lets discuss the real issue. We have carts all over the county.
Currently, stores could care less if their parking lots and the surrounding area are full of carts. That’s a fact. We have all seen it.
Secondly, we have carts throughout the county and no one is cleaning them up. If we do clean them up, it isn’t free, it costs the tax payers. This too is a fact.
Now, how do we fix it? We fine the stores. It’s not rocket science. I doubt Corporate Target and Corporate Wal-Mart will raise the prices of their merchandise to cover these fines. Additionally, they may even begin to implement a policy for these stores to avoid the fines and frustration from consumers. After all, their names are on the carts.
This is a growing problem and the county did a great job of identifying it. Instead of playing victim and pointing fingers, why don’t we start proposing ideas…Does anyone have a better idea? When I say idea, I mean something that would actually work. Please avoid posting the usual B.S.

P.S. You’re still ugly Buzz.

Matt, think for a moment of your content. Everyone has a viewpoint as to the cause and effect of a particular issue.

Let me suggest this, stop acting in the manner that not only diminishes the validity of your comment but your creditability as well. Do you remember another one of you comments? Maturity is something learned as one grows up and becomes an adult.

I hope one of your previous comments serves as a reminder that your association with the councilman is one friend he does not need.

"Matt commented on:
Perry Hall Man Killed in Crash Near Franklin Square Hospital

Buzz, I am criticizing you because you commented on the article first, you ignorant dumb ass! If you wouldn't have posted …"

In this case words speak louder than actions. It seems like you haven't learned much since then.

Oh geez! Another pontification from Father Buzz.

These stores ought to do the same thing the Safeway in Canton does. Use carts equipped with a device that locks the wheels if they get more then "X" number of feet away from the store.

Matt I'm not quite sure I understand your logic here, as per your following quote, "Let’s not get into who is the victim, who is responsible, who should suffer; rather, lets discuss the real issue."

If you eliminate those topics and the "B.S." as you say, does that apply to your concept of how to deal with the problem?

Your other quote is also interesting in that the shopping cart was invented in 1937; "This is a growing problem and the county did a great job of identifying it."

I would hope it does not take the county that long in the future to identify other troublesome issues.

Personally, if you are going to and willing to waste time and money, why not put someone out on the parking lots to "ticket" people who abuse the use of equipment provided for their convenience and use by the stores. Also get those who are too darn lazy or inconsiderate to walk 10 or 15 steps to put the cart in a "return cart here" area and find it much easier and convenient for them to just leave it next to someone else's vehicle and drive away. I'm 70, retired, had heart surgery and I can honestly say I have never "just left" a cart - no matter what the weather.

Council Chairman John A. Olszewski Sr. please use your God given talent and brains to come up with ideas that would improve our community and actually benefit the citizens. That's why you were "put" into office.
Your name is on the books and we know who you are, so why not just do what you should be doing rather then sitting around grabbing at straws and coming up with ridiculous ideas/recommendations that serve no purpose whatsoever. Doing such pointless actions isn't giving you the proper recognition you seem to be seeking! Just the opposite.
Thank you.

Janet with age comes wisdom and the dignity earned through life's experiences. You have exemplified those qualities well in your observations.

I've been a registered Democrat since 1978, have never voted out of party, and always try to support the policies and programs of the people I helped put into office. But please, this shopping cart thing -- charging the businesses whose carts are stolen - you should be ashmed and embarrassed that you even thought of this idea - much less put it out there. I'm ashamed that I've even spent time reading through all of this. Shopping carts have been, and continue to be, a problem. People steal them - it's a real problem, I agree. Some stores don't have the problem, i.e., Aldi's, Mars, Gersebecks, as mentioned above. What ever happened to local government and local businesses working together? Have you noticed all of the vacant storefronts in the Baltimore County strip malls? Seriously people, get a grip.