A sign ordinance regulating the use of exterior signs for businesses in the city of Starkville took effect Jan. 4. The Board of Alderman passed the ordinance, proposed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission proposed the ordinance to regulate and govern existing signs and any new signs businesses hang. The ordinance will limit the size of the sign and the amount of time that temporary signs and banners can be displayed.
According to Alderman Lee Beck, the ordinance is mainly to eliminate the banners and signs that advertise cigarettes and beer in order to clean up the look of the town.
Curt Crissey, owner of Brewski’s, said the new ordinance is too restrictive.
“I am not happy about it at all. I understand the reasoning behind it and I applaud the reasoning, but it is too restrictive,” Crissey said.
According to Beck, the new ordinance will not cost businesses any extra money. If the sign was built in 1991 or later, then it is in compliance with the new ordinance.
“Small businesses have limited funds to advertise with for newspaper, radio, TV, etc. Nothing gives a quicker response than to be able to have manipulative signs outside of the business to advertise what is being featured that day,” Crissey said.
The ordinance addresses all signs placed outside of businesses such as wall signs, window signs, banners, portable signs, inflatable displays,canopies, awnings, marquees, electronic message boards, and post signs.
“Someone could put up a banner in front of their business and leave it there forever, but the sign ordinance regulates certain times you can do that. For example, the ordinance allows a business to place a banner outside two or three times a year,” Beck said.
The new ordinance revises to the ordinance of 1991. The height restriction for signs is the same for both ordinances; however, the new ordinance requires the surface area of signs and banners be smaller than the allowed size of the 1991 ordinance.
“The size requirement now on wall signs restricts the ability to be creative in the signage. It restricts the ability for people to see the sign,” Crissey said. “They made me take down some of my signs.”
The new ordinance allows for signs to be closer to the road than the1991 ordinance.
“In 1991, you had to have a 20-foot setback, now you just have to have a 10-foot setback from the road,” Beck said.
The 1991 ordinance did not address wall signs, banners, window signs, portable signs or inflatable displays. Neither ordinance allows flashing signs.
The new ordinance calls for permits for temporary signs and banners to be signed by the city before they are used. These temporary signs can only be used for a specified amount of time and only certain times each year.
“There is a six month period when we are enforcing the ordinance, and we are going to look at it again to readdress some things,” Beck said. “There are a lot of issues, and it has been pretty heated, but it is going to be looked at again.