Sign vote delayed

Maitland City Council tabled an ordinance on Monday that would amend the city’s sign code to allow businesses to hang banners to promote openings and special events.

Council members support the ordinance but did not agree on some of its wording, namely the maximum size of the banners and the number of banners a business can display at a time.

The current ordinance limits the size of the banner to 36 square feet. Council members Phil Bonus and Linda Frosch said that’s not big enough for passing drivers to be able to read a sign.

“It will get lost in traffic,” Frosch said.

City Attorney Drew Smith said his firm did a similar ordinance for Edgewood, and the banners were about the same size. “… If it’s a 3-foot-tall sign that’s 12 feet long — that’s not a miniscule sign.”

Bonus said Council will have to find a balance between “garish” or “cartoonist” and not doing anything to help businesses in this tough economic climate.

Councilwoman Bev Reponen said the ordinance also did nothing to limit the amount of banners that a business could put on its property. “We should have a number limitation,” she said.

Frosh agreed that there shouldn’t be 10 signs on one property. She said the ordinance needs some work and that the city’s business community should be involved in the process.

“I’m sure businesses would appreciate more input in this. … That’s what keeps them alive and paying taxes back into the city. We should wait on this and get a little more input,” she said.

Council unanimously voted to table the ordinance until the Aug. 8 meeting so staff and Council can retool the size and quantity parameters.

“We do it right or we don’t do it all,” Frosch said.

Under the ordinance, a banner permit will cost $45 and can be displayed for 14 days. It must be removed within 24 hours after the event.

Spin signs

The city’s current sign ordinance doesn’t allow “sign spinners” — folks that stand on the side of the streets and twirl signs that are on poles — but it doesn’t explicitly ban them. The new ordinance’s language addresses the spinner signs by name.

But Councilman Ivan Valdes said he is concerned that changing the ordinance won’t stop the sign twirlers or other illegal signs from popping up. “It says there can’t be twirling, but they’re doing it anyway,” Valdes said. “We can pick any number (for size) that we want, but is there an enforcement mechanism?”

But Bonus warned that enforcement is tricky because these are the same businesses that the city is trying to help. “It’s a staffing issue and maybe a public relations issue … but that’s separate from the idea that promoting business is a worthy goal that should be assisted by temporary banner signs.”