Amador County – Jackson City Council on Monday set public workshops in January and February to discuss potential impacts on businesses from enforcement of both draft and existing sign regulations.
City Manager Mike Daly said there is a list of businesses with “non-conforming signs” that do not meet existing, but un-enforced, city sign code. Staff will send one letter about workshop details, then another to individual businesses regarding non-conformity. Councilman Pat Crew said “they need to be absolutely aware of these meetings.” Daly said they should have direct communications with each business, and that never happened after other sign ordinance changes. City Planner Susan Peters said the workshops, with a visual presentation are “to show what we are considering and what will be allowed.”
Councilman Wayne Garibaldi said before they put out the new draft ordinance to vote, they need to send a letter to businesses with non-conforming, code violating pole signs or interior lit cabinet signs. He said “we need to tell folks that we are contemplating an ordinance that would make your sign non-conforming in five years.”
Garibaldi said there are two issues. One is “the kind of junky signs.” The other is the concrete mounted pole signs that would cost thousands of dollars to be removed, with land issue to fit the new sign, and cement costs. He said: “We need to tell people that if this happened this is how it could affect you, and then they will come out.”
Councilman Keith Sweet said they may find a few costly illegal signs, not just banners. Peters said city code on banners is similar to the County’s. It allows one banner for 30 days, and three banners total in a year, among the ordinances not enforced. It was pointed out that the County has eased sign code enforcement due to economic hardship.
Garibaldi said he would prefer city employees do other work than go around enforce city sign code. He said city staff is working on new draft code, but there is also a code “on the books that is not being enforced, and because we don’t enforce them, there’s not a lot of attention paid to it.”
Thornton Consolo said the Council is sworn to uphold the law, adding: “I don’t care about the signs,” and “if you do not think it is good for business then don’t pass the laws.” Jack Georgette said “Jackson is too nice a town with too rich of a heritage to be such a tacky looking town.”
Garibaldi: “Let’s see how the January and February meetings pan out,” but they need to talk about the more expensive issue and what they want to do about enforcement, because “it has a bearing on our economy.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
