Council approves 20-year street-use license for campus-area banners after debate over content and maintenance

Council considered a street-use license (consent item 6.7) for CBC Centra Suites to install banners on street lights along Glenna Goodacre, Mac Davis and Avenue X and approved the agreement after council discussion about maintenance, content and fee levels.

Assistant city staff described the request as an atypical street-use license — historically used for awnings or sidewalk seating — and said the proposed arrangement covers three streets and would be for a 20-year term. Staff explained the city uses a minimum fee approach for small-right-of-way uses and that the application falls to the $500 minimum for each five-year term (a 20-year total of $2,000 under the current schedule) because the license area and valuation do not push the fee above the floor. Staff also said licensees are responsible for installation and maintenance and must carry insurance and indemnify the city.

Council members questioned whether the fee covered staff processing time, whether the city should require applicants to provide a sample banner design, and how the city could enforce upkeep to avoid weather-damaged banners becoming an eyesore in Lubbock’s windy climate. Mayor Pro Tem Christy Martinez Garcia and others noted the banners can promote a sense of place and civic pride; Councilman Glasheen suggested the current fee appears sufficient to cover administrative costs but said the city should review the fee schedule in the near term.

Council considered a motion to postpone the item to allow staff to add explicit maintenance and design-approval language; after discussion and a re-vote, the council voted to approve the street-use license at this meeting (the license is a standard agreement requiring insurance, indemnity and the city’s right to terminate for cause). The council directed staff to work on clearer provisions for future agreements so the city can address maintenance and content control issues if needed.

Why this matters: street-use licenses place private signage in the public right of way and can affect streetscape appearance, maintenance obligations and public safety. The council’s action permits a private entity to use public street poles for banners under a multi-decade license and keeps the door open for the city to tighten terms in future agreements.

Implementation: the license requires the applicant to provide insurance and indemnity and to maintain banners; staff will prepare clarified contract language for future agreements concerning design approval and maintenance expectations.