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Council to move sign rules into zoning; attorney recommends limits on billboards and school signs reviewed
Summary
City attorney advised moving sign restrictions that vary by zoning district from the separate sign chapter into the zoning ordinance appendix; councilors raised concerns about billboards in and near residential areas and asked staff to check political-sign wording and school signage compliance.
At the March 18 meeting, planning staff and the city attorney proposed moving much of Chapter 78 (signs) into the zoning ordinance as an appendix so that district-level sign rules and general sign-time/place/manner controls are consolidated.
City attorney Cynthia said Alpine, as a home-rule city, can regulate signs but must pick the proper legal vehicle. “The ordinance that's presented has a little bit of both,” she told council, recommending either using the city’s home-rule authority for citywide time/place/manner sign regulations or folding district-specific sign rules into the zoning ordinance so the law and map align.
Council members voiced a series of specific concerns during the discussion: - Billboards: Several council members said they opposed allowing new billboards near residential areas or along highway corridors east and west of town. One member urged that the city consider prohibiting billboards inside the city and possibly in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Cynthia said she would review the Local Government Code provisions that allow municipalities to extend sign regulation into their ETJ and report back on authority and any required interlocal agreements with the county. - School and public signs: Council asked staff to verify whether school electronic signs and rotating-message displays comply with any new dimming or movement restrictions proposed in the draft and to exempt necessary school-safety signage as appropriate. - Political and temporary signs: Council asked staff to ensure the sign definitions in the updated ordinance match the zoning code and to confirm time-limits for political signs; staff noted that temporary signs already carry short allowable periods (for example, seven-day windows for certain temporary signs) and that enforcement is typically complaint-driven.
Staff recommended attaching the sign regulations as an appendix to the zoning ordinance and asked planning to verify the city school signage and to clean up inconsistencies between sections. Cynthia agreed to confirm whether the city can prohibit billboards within the ETJ and advised caution when enforcing any rules that might implicate First Amendment protections for issue-oriented speech.
No final ordinance vote occurred; staff will return with refined language and a proposal to append the sign rules to Appendix C (zoning).
