Luna upset about city sign laws
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Pish-La-Ki owner Burgess Luna said he was trying to promote the Creedence Clearwater Revisited concert planned for Sept. 2 when problems arose about his signs.
He said his signs were removed from various locations around town, including his private property, but it appeared to him a yard sale sign without a permit and signs for a Civic Center tool show were allowed to stay.
City Codes Enforcement Officer Jim Brock said laws differ on signs and sign permits depending upon location and purpose. The law does provide for signs pertaining to events of public interest, such as the concert, to be erected without a permit, but that specific law is limited.
According to zoning codes, one temporary sign not more than 32-square-feet is allowed to be erected at the site of a so-called public interest event not more than 14 days before the event. Brock pointed to the words “upon the site of the event” and said there were complaints about two or three promotional signs for the concert within city limits. Officials contacted Luna about the problem earlier this week after receiving complaints.
“I told him verbally on the phone they had to be up by Friday or we’d take them down, and we took them down,” Brock said.
Luna questioned the fairness of taking his signs down while others are allowed to stay, adding he thought he had permission to put the signs there after talking with the codes office.
“The city is probably correct in doing this as far as black and white law,” Luna said. “But if they’re going to do us that way, they need to treat everybody else the same way.”
Brock, when contacted Friday, said if there were signs from the tool show that were non-compliant, they would be removed. Brock said officials attempt to enforce the laws equally and take down offending signs when aware of them.
Luna said the concert signs have been up for about two weeks and should have been taken down immediately if they were in question. Additionally, he said he has placed signs in town for years without any problems.
Luna indicated he is discouraged in light of a recent push to highlight tourism and said a portion of the proceeds from the CCR concert will go to Kids of the Community, a toy drive, and the Harrison Ferry Fire Department.
City Administrator Herb Llewellyn said the rules are enforced as city officials become aware of violations.
“What he needs to know is that we treat everyone else the same way and when we see them [offending signs], we’ll enforce them [the laws].”
The regulations for public events signs compared to political, real estate and auction signs differ.
Political signs in general are allowed on private property without a permit with consent of the owner. Real estate signs are allowed on and off premise but off premise signs cannot stay in place for more than 30 days and are allowed in the public right of way as long as there are no more than two signs at intersections, according to the zoning law.