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Council approves first reading to let council set sign‑permit fees by resolution
Summary
The city passed Ordinance 25‑04 on first reading to move sign-permit fee-setting into the council-adopted fee schedule, allowing future fee adjustments by resolution rather than ordinance.
The Evanston City Council approved Ordinance 25‑04 on first reading to amend the municipal code so that sign-permit fees can be set by council resolution and included in the fee schedule.
Councilmember Harris read the ordinance title, explaining the change would move a numeric fee out of the code and into the city’s fee schedule, allowing future adjustments by resolution rather than by ordinance. The ordinance clarifies the permit process for business signage and retains the existing approach of assessing permanent sign fees by square footage.
Council discussion focused on scope and application. A councilmember asked whether the change applied to permanent business signs; a staff speaker confirmed it applies to signs for businesses and that fees are assessed based on square footage. Councilmember Perks described the action as streamlining fee changes and connecting them to the budget and fee schedule rather than repeated ordinance amendments.
The measure passed on first reading by voice vote; councilmembers were told the ordinance will return two more times for subsequent readings before final adoption.
