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Resident urges removal of old political signs; staff clarifies Minnesota statute and city code process
Summary
A resident read Minnesota Statute 211B.045 and asked the council to remove political signs that remained after the election; staff clarified the statute prevents limiting sign numbers during the election period and that the city sign code applies after that period, and council noted the sign code is being updated.
At the meeting’s public forum, Sue Hilard, a longtime Olivia resident, read Minnesota Statute 211B.045 and urged the council to address political signs from last fall that remain in public view.
Hilard read the statute aloud and said the signs should have been removed 10 days after the general election; she said the continued presence of the signs communicates a lack of respect for statute and ordinance. "All non-commercial signs of any size may be posted in any number beginning 46 days before the state Primary in the state general election year and 10 days following the general election," Hilard read during her comments.
Later in the meeting, staff clarified the statute’s effect: the state law prevents municipalities from limiting the number of non-commercial signs during the election period on private property, but the city’s sign code applies after the election period and remains enforceable for signs in the public right-of-way. A staff member noted the city is updating its sign code. "The state statute just says during election time you can't limit the number of those non-commercial signs meaning if people want to have 20 signs in their yard ... they can do that," staff said.
Council took no immediate enforcement action during the meeting; staff said the updated sign code and clarification of where the city can regulate signs (private property versus public right-of-way) would guide future enforcement.
