AUBURN — Charity sales may get a boost from the city, councilors agreed Monday.

Councilors reviewed rules for flea markets and charity rummage sales as well as garage sales at their workshop meeting Monday night.

The city charges $50 per table for a flea market. That license is good for 90 days. Charity groups, however, said it’s a steep price for annual events

“So we talked about changing fees for short-term events,” Planner Eric Cousens said. “For a one-day event it would go from $50 per table to $50 for 25 tables. Right now, charity events and ski swaps meet the criteria of flea markets, so this could create an exemption for those events.”

The city could also create a single fee for neighborhood yard sales for up to five addresses.

“It’s really a good project for a neighborhood to work together on,” Cousens said.

Councilors were supportive of most of the changes, but a proposal to let farmers living on land zoned for agriculture host regular barn sales was a tougher sell. Councilor Belinda Gerry said it was unfair.

“We’d let them do something others can’t do,” Gerry said. “That’s where the slippery slope is. Other people, flea markets, have to pay a percentage and taxes. With this, there is no check and balance.”

Councilor Leroy Walker said farmers living on agriculture-zoned land have different lives.

“There is a difference being in the country and being in the city,” Walker said. “If they want to have a barn sale, they probably ought to be able to do it.”

Staff will bring the issue back to councilors at the June 15 meeting.

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