Proposed changes that hopefully will help Jefferson City Code Enforcement better regulate signage or "advertising clutter" have been sent onto the Jefferson City Council for their review and possible approval.
At Thursday's Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, members voted 5-1 to move the measure to the council, which will hold a public hearing on the matter Aug. 20.
There was one change the commission made, city Senior Planner Eric Barron said.
"Rather than limiting the number of temporary signs on residential properties, which the proposal had at two per property plus two per street frontage during elections seasons, those numbers were stricken so there is no limit on temporary signs," Barron said.
He added they can still enforce sight distance problems since that is a safety issue.
"If there is a sign out there blocking traffic or a safety concern, we try to deal with it as quickly as possible," he said.
Commissioners voting for the measure included Jack Deeken, Penny Quigg, Bunnie Cotten, Blake Markus and Hank Vogt. Dale Vaughn voted against.
Property owners and business owners cannot place signs in a right-of-way without receiving permission first, Barron said. However, it is common for property owners to mistakenly place signs in the right-of-way.
Many times, property owners do not own the land up to the street, as there is a right-of-way running alongside the streets, Barron said. Without surveying the property, though, knowing where the right-of-way begins can be difficult for property owners and city code enforcement. It also can be perceived as unfair, he added.
"Some people do own property all the way up to the curb line of the street, and placing their signs on that property has a very high level of impact on that street, whereas property owners who do not own property all the way up to the street are forced to move their sign back," Barron said. "So it can be perceived as being enforced differently in these two situations - allowing one person to have their sign up by the road whereas you're not letting me have mine up by the road."