New Rules Limit Roadside Collections

Organizations that solicit donations from drivers at city intersections now face some new rules that are intended to keep volunteers safe.

At a Monday night meeting in Harris Hall, the City Council passed a new ordinance requiring organizations that ask drivers for roadside contributions to put up signs with the words "Tag Day Ahead." The signs are meant to ensure drivers are aware people may be standing near the street or approaching cars stopped in traffic.

The rules limit such fundraising efforts to two locations — Park Square, and the intersection of Hamlet and Cumberland streets. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, and all must wear the same brightly-colored safety vests used by work crews repairing roads. The new rules go into effect in 10 days.

The measure passed four to two, with council members Marc Dubois and Roger Jalette opposed. "They're all good organizations that do this," Dubois said. "But to allow them to stand at our busiest intersections, knowing that drivers are talking on phones, texting, eating — I can't support it."

Other council members voiced reluctance to ban such events — known as "tag days" — because they benefit worthwhile causes. "Tag days have their merits, as long as people respect what can happen when standing on a traffic island," said City Council member Dan Gendron.

Tag days were first launched decades ago as part of a national fundraiser staged every Labor Day weekend by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The volunteers are usually local firefighters, who hold out empty boots to drivers at intersections and asked them to drop cash inside.

Since then, other charitable groups have adopted the strategy. And in recent years, some drivers have complained that volunteers sometimes slow the flow of traffic. Others have raised concerns the roadside fundraisers are safety hazards.

The new rules will put an end to holiday weekend tag days, on the grounds that heavy traffic might make conditions unsafe. In addition, roadside collections are allowed only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Those organizations that wish to hold a tag day fundraiser must also obtain a license from the city clerk at least 60 days prior to the event. The fee is $25. Only non-profit and charitable organizations based in Woonsocket can apply for a license. The ordinance empowers the police chief to shut down a tag day event should volunteers ignore the rules.

Council member Christopher Beauchamp has taken steps to ensure organizations don't incur any costs putting out road signs. He asked his
employer, a construction company that frequently puts up warning signs at their work sites, to donate five to the city. Organizations will be able to pick up the signs the day before their event, and return them the day after.

In other business Monday, the City Council considered a new ordinance aimed at those who attempt to dodge the excise tax on motor vehicles. That money goes into city coffers. At one time, the tax applied only to more expensive vehicles, but several years ago, state government extended the fee to cover all those that are registered.

In Woonsocket and in other Rhode Island communities, some businesses and residents avoid making that payment by registering their cars in another state, where such fees are non-existent or smaller.

Beauchamp proposed that Woonsocket copy an ordinance recently enacted in Providence. That plan bars owners of single- and two-family homes from applying for a reduction in their property tax bills unless they can show all their vehicles are registered in Rhode Island.

Mayor Leo Fontaine, who attended the meeting, told the council City Solicitor Joseph Carroll is already working on a similar proposal.

The council may also be discussing an ordinance to limit business hours for barbershops in weeks ahead. Dubois told fellow council members he recently learned there are no such restrictions.

"It seems like some of them have become gathering spots where criminal activity occurs," he said. "Last month we had a drug raid at a barbershop. Two years ago there was a shooting. No one goes out to get a haircut at 10 at night."