City adopts rules for signs

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

— The culmination of months of work was dissected at a city meeting Thursday with members of the City Council and Planning Commission meeting as a committee of the whole.

Planning Commission members have worked on the sign ordinance for nearly a year and presented it to the Council recently for passage.

Council members questioned several points of the ordinance.

Mayor Jackie Crabtree recommended the joint meeting so all city officials could discuss the regulations and consider what is best for the city.

Members were given copies of the proposed ordinance with several questions noted including questions about electronic signs, garage sale signs and portable signs.

Planning Commission member M.J. Hensley said: “Developing an ordinance is like a specification.

If it’s not any good, it needs to be changed. From my experience, people come in here wanting us to approve various signs.”

He said the city officials needed guidelines for what is acceptable.

Dr. Karen Sherman, Planning Commission chairman, was unable to attend, but wrote Mayor Jackie Crabtree stating: “I believe we’ve done a very thorough job in constructing this ordinance .... We need to keep a vision of what a city is to look like. We’ve developed detailed guidelines to be consistent and know what to expect ... we need to be proactive.”

Sherman wrote that decisions need to be “in the best interest of the city and not just individuals,” and that while some guidelines “may seem like overkill,” the city needed to “be consistent.”

She said as the city grows, complete guidelines will be appreciated.

Signs permitted without a permit include construction signs on individual lots per trade as required by the state, farm signage, flags, historic markers, directional signs, non-profit signs and holiday decorations.

Council member Nadine Telgemeier questioned regulations governing time restrictions for illumination of holiday decorations from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, saying the city was pinpointing Christmas and that “we’re becoming a lot more diverse in Pea Ridge ... like Cinco de Mayo. You could make it more robust.”

“We felt it was too restrictive,” Telgemeier said directing her comments to councilman Jack Kelly.

“I believe in personal property rights. It’s too regulatory. I don’t like the time frame,” Telgemeier said.

City officials discussed other cases of bright lights that had been outlawed by other municipalities and how to judge the brightness of lights. Council member Steve Guthrie suggesteddeleting the section about holiday lights and adding it later after more consideration. The mayor said they should do it right the first time.

“I feel this is for cities of a bigger size,” Telgemeier said. “I don’t’ think we have that at this time.

Jackie is trying to be proactive. I don’t want to be proactive.”

“These guys have worked a long, long time, they’ve done a lot of research. They’ve worked with other cities. Let’s get it done right and don’t have to come back and redo. Leave it in there and if we get complaints, we’re reconsider it,” the mayor said, as Telgemeier shook her head.

“I concur,” Kelly said.

“Don’t tread on my and my Christmas lights,” Telgemeier said.

Planning Commission member Al Fowler said: “As a piece of the overall ordinance, I don’t see it as a huge issue personally. It can certainly be considered a small segment , in a sense. .. if you leave it in or take it out, it’s not a huge issue.

“I can see that, there is another level at which you could certainly say, the entire ordinance gets into property rights. Yeah, we have regulations, ordinances. It almost always actually protects the rights of the majority of citizens.

The entire thing gets into property rights at somelevel... it’s not a huge watershed issue.”

The time restriction was removed from the ordinance.

“Overall, I think the ordinance is pretty good,” Telgemeier said. “I know when I work on something a long time, it helps to have another set of eyes.”

Regulations regarding yard sale signs were also discussed and will be limited to three days and required to be removed by the person putting it out.

Regulations also require an address on the sign so city officials will know to whom the sign belongs.

The ordinance was on the agenda for the regular Council meeting Tuesday night.

News, Pages 1 on 08/17/2011