Cabarrus County staff told commissioners that Lamar Advertising seeks to extend a billboard lease on a small triangular parcel adjacent to the Progress Place building and that the county negotiated content restrictions the board will review before final approval.

Doug Hall presented background: when the county purchased the Progress Place property it acquired a site with an existing billboard. Lamar owns the billboard structure and had leased the triangular parcel where the sign stands. Hall said Lamar proposes a new five-year lease with five automatic five-year extensions; county policy limits the maximum lease term the county may grant to 10 years. The rent would remain $7,500 per year; Hall said that, if approved, the lease could be made retroactive to July 15 so Lamar would remit the initial 12 months’ rent.

Hall told the commissioners he negotiated language to restrict certain advertising content and that Lamar had agreed to the county’s proposed restrictions. Hall summarized the restrictions in conversation, saying the county sought to bar “alcohol, … weapons, certainly no adult oriented advertisements even if it's an advertisement for a legal business.” He said the negotiated paragraph was not in the meeting materials but would be emailed to commissioners and presented formally at the Sept. 15 meeting for further review.

Why this matters: The sign is on county property and the county wants to avoid content it finds inconsistent with the adjacent social services location; the lease terms affect county revenue and property rights because Lamar owns the structure and could remove it if the lease lapses.

Commissioners asked who controls billboard content and whether political advertising has been shown at the location; staff said private property owners can generally dictate content but the county tried to craft restrictions that would not raise First Amendment concerns. The board agreed to move the item to action/new business so members could review the proposed language in time for the Sept. 15 meeting.