Mathews County board delegates placement of sponsor banners on county-owned high school athletic fields to school officials

Mathews County board members voted to allow the school board or the school athletic director to decide where sponsor banners may be placed on county-owned high school athletic fields, after a county employee raised concerns that some banners on bleachers and fences might violate the county sign ordinance.

The measure, moved from the floor, directs that permission for signs on the county-owned high school baseball field be handled by the school board or the athletic director rather than routing requests through the county administrator’s office. Proponents said the change would provide consistency and avoid pulling county staff into routine, seasonal decisions about temporary banners.

Tom Bowman, a board member, described how county staff and school officials had disagreed over whether certain banners were exempt under the county zoning ordinance. “I talked to Amy O’Neil, the national director, and I said, I don’t have any authority to say this is what we should do,” Bowman said. He noted that some of the banners had been placed on bleachers next to the baseball field and that an athletic director had been asked to remove them.

Bowman urged the board to “approve allowing the athletic department or whoever the school board decides to develop a policy as to where these signs should be placed, and that permission be granted … at her discretion.” He added that treating the matter as a school policy would “get around the permission issue” and keep routine decisions out of the county administrator’s office.

Several members supported a seasonal or location-based approach that would let donors display banners during the sports season. One board member said, “These signs only stayed up … for the duration of the season because they’re using the ball field,” and described the banners as a common way for small businesses to support local athletics.

At the same time, some board members urged clarifying the county sign ordinance itself so it would explicitly address school and civic uses. A member suggested amending the ordinance to state that it “does not apply to schools and civic groups” or to specify which county-owned properties fall under delegated authority. Board members also raised maintenance and size concerns, noting the county should not be responsible for repairing privately made banners if they are damaged and that rules on size and placement would promote fairness for sponsors.

The board approved the motion by voice vote; members answered “aye” when asked for approval and no opposing voice was recorded.

Votes at a glance: • Motion to allow the school board or athletic director to set policy for sponsor banners on county-owned high school athletic fields — Passed (voice vote; aye recorded; no opposed recorded).

The discussion began after a county employee pointed out the sign ordinance’s exception for athletic fields and questioned whether the bleachers were inside the defined ballpark boundary. Board members said some signs had been attached to fences and some to bleachers, that an athletic director had been instructed to remove banners, and that the high school baseball field is on county-owned property rather than school-owned land. Several board members recommended a short-term, season-limited allowance and consistent size/placement rules if sponsorship banners continue to be sold.

Board members also discussed whether, beyond delegating permission to school officials, the county’s ordinance should be revised to avoid similar confusion in the future. No ordinance amendment was adopted at the meeting; members limited the vote to delegating sign-permission authority to the school board or athletic director for the school athletic facilities located on county property.

The procedural portion of the meeting included a reconvened open meeting certification following a closed session. During a roll-call certification, some members said “I so certify,” while one member said “Not certified,” reflecting a recorded dissent during the certification process.