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Council Optimistic About Cutting Sign Clutter

January 25, 2007

By LOYD BRUMFIELD / Today Newspapers

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery - generally causing consternation among citizens and officials alike.

The Cedar Hill city council expressed interest in doing away with those temporary signs drivers see every few feet along streets and highways, advertising everything from homebuilders to get-rich quick schemes.

In their place, the council hopes to craft an ordinance that implements a kiosk-style sign program in which temporary signage is displayed in professionally designed structures at different locations around the city.

Code enforcement officer Stacey Graves presented a program on kiosks at the Jan. 9 council meeting and had a receptive audience.

Any proposed ordinance would prohibit so-called directional signs in favor of free-standing structures that can promote local businesses and city events, Graves said.

The city would contract with an advertising company to construct the kiosks, install and maintain the signage and assist the city in determining where the kiosks would be placed, Graves said.

Under current ordinances, businesses must pay a $10 permit fee for signs, and they must be 10 feet apart from each other, at least 3 feet from the curb and 50 feet from any intersection.

Cedar Hill collected $10,400 in sign permit fees in 2006, Graves said.

In a kiosk program, businesses would pay the sign company for space on the kiosk, and the company in turn would give a designated portion of that amount to the city for permit fees.

Council member Wade Emmert expressed strong support for a kiosk ordinance.

“I think it’s much better than the current row of signs you see,” he said. “They’re ugly, they’re unsightly. Those big trucks park half on the road and half off it, and it’s dangerous.”

Emmert asked Graves if there was a way for average citizens to use the kiosks to advertise garage sales and things like that.

Unless something changes in the ordinance the city comes up with, individuals would have to apply for a sign permit, Graves said.

“I think we should make some concessions for average citizens to advertise their garage sales,” he said. “I think if they don’t remove them, we could probably do something about that, but I don’t think we should shut our citizens out of the process.”

Graves was asked how homebuilders felt.

“Some are for it, others are against it,” she said.

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