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Pawn Ordinances Report <br />May 12, 2003 <br />Page 6 <br /> <br />No pawnbroker licensed upon this chapter shall (1) lend money on a pledge at a rate of <br />interest above that allowed by law, (2) possess stolen goods, (3) sell pledged goods before <br />the time to redeem has expired, (4) make a loan on a pledge to a minor or purchase property <br />from a minor, (5) accept consignments or sell consigned goods or items, and (6) keep, <br />possess or operate, or permit the keeping, possession or operation of gambling or gambling <br />equipment. <br /> <br />Public Comments: The following public comments were raised at the Planning <br />Commission meetings: <br /> <br />a. Acceptable Identification. I asked the Police Department if they felt it would be <br />appropriate or advantageous to limit the acceptable ID provisions to include ONLY <br />Minnesota drivers licenses or state issued Ids. The Police Department did not feel such <br />a restriction was necessary <br />b. Guaranteed Enforcement. The manner by which enforcement will occur will be through <br />random checks and through proactive Police work. Regardless, the Police Department <br />will provide the enforcement and will bring any violations to the attention of the City <br />Council for possible license suspension or revocation. <br />c. How will Manager be defined. The definition of a Manager has been added to the <br />ordinance and a requirement added that on average the Manager shall work a minimum <br />of 80 hours per month. <br />d. Fees should reflect that of the highest of the adjacent communities. The Police <br />department reviewed the fees and feels that they will be adequate however other cities <br />indicate that a Pawnshop creates more of a burden on the department than is recovered <br />through fees. <br />e. How will a Pawnshop impact the PD. Until a Pawnshop locates in the City, no one is <br />quite sure what the impact will be to the police department. The Chief and his <br />investigators have researched other communities and are familiar with the impacts to <br />other departments. If the impacts are such that the Pawnshop is requiring a <br />disproportionate amount of police activity, the fees would need to be adjusted <br />accordingly. <br />f. Maximum Interest rate. Minnesota Statutes establish the maximum interest rate that can <br />be charged. The Planning Commission agreed to NOT require a lesser threshold than <br />the state requires, although the Council certainly has that authority through the adoption <br />of the ordinance. <br />g. Enforcement. The comment was raised that the ordinance does not explicitly <br />communicate what offenses would warrant what penalties. Rather than attempting to <br />identify the multitude of potential violations and then attempt to associate an appropriate <br />consequence, the Police Department suggested leaving the language as is to allow for <br />discretion and flexibility.