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Council holds signs ordinance review after business pushback; staff recommends trial and outreach
Summary
Councilors and planning staff discussed recent complaints about enforcement of a new sign ordinance, considered possible amendments, and agreed to gather additional business and resident feedback before making code changes.
Midway council members and planning staff discussed lingering complaints following a recent overhaul of the city’s sign rules, and staff recommended a period of outreach and trial before proposing further code changes.
Michael, planning staff, summarized enforcement categories and said the city has historically removed off‑premise advertising signs and now drives regular pickup routes to limit clutter. He described three sign categories discussed at the meeting: off‑premise advertising signs, construction/job‑site signs, and A‑frame (sidewalk/chalkboard) signs on Main Street.
Michael said the city has long enforced restrictions on off‑premise advertising (signs placed in rights‑of‑way or other properties without a license) and that staff now uses a practice of affixing notice tags to signs and removing persistent violators. He reported most businesses along Main Street had removed or adjusted A‑frame signs after the new ordinance was adopted; only a few remained noncompliant.
Council members and business representatives raised specific concerns: (1) yard signs or small homeowner signs for local services that sit in place for an extended time, (2) multiple contractor signs at active construction sites that can appear as mini‑billboards, and (3) perceptions that enforcement was inconsistent or that some businesses misunderstood whether they were “grandfathered.” Michael said the construction category could be limited to minimal informational signs (contractor name, phone and lot number) and that letting decorative or advertising content proliferate would undermine downtown character.
Council members asked staff to gather more input from Main Street businesses and nearby residents and to let the ordinance run for a trial period (for example six months) before proposing targeted amendments. Several council members emphasized they did not want a large ad‑style signage environment on Main Street and that any changes should balance business marketing needs with the town’s character.
What’s next: staff will continue enforcement under the current code, document recurring complaints, conduct targeted outreach to businesses and residents along Main Street, and return with options for narrow code amendments if patterns of concern persist.
