The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

 

Published September 13, 2017

Sign ordinance may change

CAMDENTON - The city has once again addressed the issue of a sign ordinance.

Dennis Croxton, the city’s Building Official/Zoning Inspector explained to the board in his report why the changes were necessary.

“On June 18, 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Reed, et al. vs. Town of Gilbert, Arizona and determined when municipalities may impose content-based restrictions on signage. The decision also clarified the level of constitutional scrutiny that should be applied to content-based restrictions on speech. Gilbert, Arizona’s sign ordinance imposed greater restrictions on signs advertising religious services than signs that displayed “political” or “ideological” messages. The Supreme Court found that this ordinance did not pass strict scrutiny and was imposing content-based restrictions on free speech. This is illegal.

“Therefore, the City of Camdenton finds it necessary to revise our sign ordinance to be as content neutral as possible. This revision should also bring our sign ordinance into alignment with our comprehensive plan ‘Destination Camdenton’ and hopefully it will be more user friendly…”

Croxton said that The Supreme Court decision will continue to have repercussions throughout the next few years and there are no guarantees that more revisions to the city’s sign code will not be necessary.

This brought on several questions and comments by Alderman Sandy Osborn including the statement that the city didn’t do a good job on the current sign ordinance and how could they “have the manpower and policing to enforce these kinds of regulations.”

“I don’t know where they got these ordinances from but they are from someone who has a lot more enforcement capabilities than we have,” Osborn said.

One of the differences in the old and new ordinance is in relation to copy on the sign.

The current ordinance says:

“Prohibited signs. The following signs are prohibited in the City:
a. Signs which display flashing lights or animated features.
b. Signs with any form of pyrotechnics or audio speakers.
c. Signs or devices which use any searchlights or strobe lights.
d. Signs which may be confused with or construed as a traffic control sign, signal or device or the light of an emergency vehicle or road equipment by reason of their size, location, movement, content, coloring or manner of illumination.
e. Attention-attracting devices unless specifically allowed herein.
f. Signs which shield from view any traffic control device, sign, signal or other government sign.
g. No projecting signs shall be allowed in the City.
h. Signs which contain obscene or offensive messages.”

The last one could be open to interpretation and in this day where everything is offensive to someone any message on any sign could be illegal. For example a church sign that says “Merry Christmas” could be found offensive to someone of another faith.

Censoring a message on a sign, especially a religious message is the reason for the proposed change in the city’s ordinance.

The proposed ordinance says:

“No sign is subject to any limitations based on its content. Any sign authorized in this section may contain any non-commercial copy in lieu of any other copy…”

The submitted new sign ordinance was approximately 15 pages long and went into detail about the size and types of signs permitted with photos of current examples in the city.

The board eventually agreed to the first reading of the bill and will address the second reading at the next Bard of Aldermen meeting in September.

In other business at last week’s meeting:

• Passed a resolution regarding Information Technology Resources Policies
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance adopting the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget. This budget begins on October 1.
• Approved both readings of a contract with R C Contracting LLC for Trail Ridge Lift Station Driveway Construction

The city recently purchased the property for this lift station from the 2016 County Tax Sale. The proposed project will cost $32,625 plus engineering costs.

• Awarded the sale of a JD 4710 tractor to Steve Hecker. The highest bid (Hecker’s) was $ 6,126 for the tractor.
• Approved the Community Center Committee Appointments.

The committee will consist of Michael Ledbetter, Trish Creach, Mike Fink, Gary Braman, Ryan Neal, and Debbie Williams along with previously appointed aldermen Dan Hagedorn and Brenda Weir.

The mayor stated that this is not the final list but the city needs to get started.

• Approved the hiring of new police officer Bryce Easley.

“Easley has been working on a degree in criminal justice. He attended Law Enforcement Training Institute graduating April 2013 and obtained a Class A certification from Peace Officers Standards & Training. He is currently working for the Camden County Sheriff's Office in the Detention Center but would like a patrol position,” said police Chief Laura Wright.

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