SIGN ORDINANCE public hearing 6:30pm on 11-9-15

Little Falls city council work session 11-2-15  informational sign ord amendments mtg.

All you who are passionate about your garage sale signs, better take a look at the proposed changes to the Little Falls sign ordinance. There has been a recent Supreme Court decision that affects sign ordinances everywhere. Show up Monday Nov.9th at 6:30pm sharp for the public hearing where every person gets to speak 2 minutes, then an additional 2 minute you want to be in the loop about city council intentions on the revisions to the sign ordinance. The June 18,2015 Reed v. City of Gilbert Supreme Court decision compels your council is making MORE revisions. Plus they want to favor certain groups or types of speech and squash mine.....same shi# , different day. I firmly believe, the current ordinance Violates the Constitution on many counts. It can't pass muster. So will the next one. Betcha. This is  why city staff deleted numerous clauses.


Page 1 had no changes, so I didn't post it.

I will be making comments tomorrow 11-2-15

Why do you suppose they deleted BILLBOARD definition?

Event signs definition deleted. Why? Did this allow an "exception"?

Kiosk definition deleted. City has kiosks ALL OVER Little Falls. Are they constitutional? Bet not. Oh lookie below...Newspaper receptacles and mailbox exemption stricken. Suppose this is because of my LEGAL newspaper receptacle and mailboxes?

Murals below...notice the language stricken that says "and does not include any on or off site advertisement."(like the large Rexall Drug mural on the north facing side of Melgram Jewelers, and the Pete and Joys Bakery mural that faces west way up high on their building).

 Notice also the addition of "no more than 5% of the total area covered by the mural or 100 sq.ft.whichever is less, consists of text." Judge for yourself...don't these 2 murals violate that clause?

Real estate signs definition stricken.....likely unconstitutional because it favors realtors and construction signs over others.

Look at all the deleted language....it certainly appears they got alot WRONG.

NOTICE the comment on the side, about road right of way signs, by Ben Oleson, contracted zoning administrator. Allowing more flags in business districts than are allowed in residential, seems to violate the constitution. Why should they get more?

All off premise signs will be legal....anywhere in town. I am gonna  have fun with this one. Of course council is trying to accommodate the Senior Center donut sales, the Farmers Market, garage sales, church dinners, Chamber of Commerce, Great River Arts, Iniative Foundation, school events, VFW, American Legion, Lions, Kiwanis, KCs and other non profit fundraisers.  But now they HAVE to accommodate off premise speech they don't like too.

Notice they deleted the tobacco restriction on advertisements/promotion signs......because that probably violated the consitution.

Your city council just authorized a new lease with Franklin sign company, for a billboard on city owned property by the salt shed that is likely not legally permitted. (Still researching). I believe in doing so, they violated the current sign ordinance. That would explain the stricken language that billboards are only allowed out by the Morrison County fairgrounds on Hawthorne Road(city owns land out there).

Notice the addition of language to cover "signs for which there are insufficient records to determine their lawfulness at the time they were erected. Why they are REALLY sdding this langusge is because a number of complaints were filed(some years ago) and there are no EXISTING sign permits in the files. So instead of issuing warning letters to THESE violators, they are adding this protective buffer for them.(for instance the brick home across from Dairy Queen at the intersection of Riverview Drive and First St. NE that has a sign within a wrought iron fence, an etched sign on a large rock and a pillored rock sign(total 3, which is over the legal limit and signs etched in rock count towards total sq footage in the current ordinance. They just don't want to make THIS residence comply.....but Randall Bjerkness and I had to.

Notice there is absolutely NO written enforcement instructions/policy/plan to be voted on. If they don't pass one, they can enforce this law with total UNFETTERED DISCRETION. They are headed for quicksand. Any of you attending the public hearing, should insist they pass guidelines for the zoning administor or his agent to follow during enforcement.