City may toughen sign laws
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
GENTRY ó The planning and zoning commission is recommending an ordinance to city council which would require signs within the city limits to be kept in good repair, be structurally sound and not have flaking or chipping paint.
The draft ordinance was brought before the commission by city attorney Jay Williams at the direction of council members on the nuisance committee. The original draft would not only have required signs to be kept in good repair, but would have also required signs to be removed within 30 days of a business closing.
After review by the commission and comments by the public at the open public hearing, it was decided to strike the portion of the draft ordinance which would have required signs to come down within 30 days of a business closure.
ì What if a business closes ? î asked Jack Elder of Tall Star Realty, Inc. ì The sign could be used by the next owner. î Elder said signs can cost into the thousands of dollars and can add to the value of a business property. He said removal of the sign would likely result in damage to the signís electrical wiring.
Even if a business were to be sold, the transaction takes more than 30 days, some residents said during the open hearing.
City council member Janie Parks said the purpose of the recommended ordinance was to address closed businesses on Main Street which still have signs in place and give the appearance of being active businesses when theyíre not.
ì Itís tough to legislate everything, guys, it really is, î said commission member Paul Church.
Though omitting the portion of the proposed ordinance which would have required signage to be removed after a business closure may not address all concerns, the portion of the proposal requiring signs to be kept in good repair would still require property owners to either maintain business signs or remove them to be in compliance.
Commission members Danny Feemster, Wanda Meyer, Mike Parks and Paul Church voted in favor of recommending the ordinance to the council without the paragraph requiring signage to be removed within 30 days of business closure. Commission members Jim Kooistra and David Nelson voted not to recommend the ordinance without the above mentioned paragraph.
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