Though the city-wide garage sale has come and gone, the Austin City Council is still concerned with residents putting up garage sale signs in illegal places.

The city received several complaints over residents who put up signs in the street and on city property during the citywide sale. In addition, Austin police routinely remove signs near Kwik Trip gas stations at West Oakland Avenue and 12th Street, as well as the intersections at West Oakland Avenue and 14th Street, and 14th Street and Fourth Avenue Northwest.

Yet the council decided not to look into the city’s ordinance on Monday — they’ve discussed the issue before.

“We’ve dealt with this issue every year for the past five or six years,” Mayor Tom Stiehm said.

According to the city’s ordinance, people can post garage sale signs on their property during the sale and at designated city areas: at the bottom of Skinner’s Hill at Second Drive and Ninth Place Southwest, and about 100 yards to the west of the intersection at Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street Northeast.

The policy is designed to cut down on traffic issues and prevent accidents as people gawk at the signs, but residents have gotten creative in recent years.

Police Chief Brian Krueger told the council some residents are putting up billboards on the sides of their cars and parking them near busy intersections. Others are asking their neighbors on corner lots to post signs, which is technically legal.

Yet some residents have complained each year about the garage sale signs, such as former City Council member Dick Pacholl.

Council Member Jeremy Carolan proposed investigating the sign ordinance last year after several complaints.

“It’s a nightmare for enforcement,” he said. “If we can’t enforce it, we might as well get rid of it.”

Carolan, Jeff Austin and Michael Jordal supported looking into the issue, but Council members Steve King, Janet Anderson, Judy Enright and Dave Hagen voted the issue down.