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Residents call Shriner's LED sign unlawful; council urged to seek enforcement
Summary
Public comment and council debate focused on an LED sign at a Shriner's property in Edgewood. A public commenter called the sign "illegal," the solicitor said the matter is before municipal court and the Shriners agreed to shut the sign off by 9 p.m. while the case proceeds.
James Kelleher, a resident, told the council the Shriner's LED sign in Edgewood is unlawful and that the building official lacked authority to issue the underlying permit. "It's beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's an unlawful sign," Kelleher said during public comment, and he urged the council to require removal or compliance.
Solicitor Malay briefed the committee on the municipal-court proceedings and said the Shriner's and the city reached a temporary agreement: "they have voluntarily agreed that they will shut it off by 09:00 while this plays out in court," he told the panel. Council members, including Councilwoman Graziano, pressed for stronger interim enforcement such as a cease-and-desist or daily fines and asked staff to confirm what citations and fines exist and whether a cease-and-desist has been issued. Legal staff explained that whether the status quo can be enjoined before adjudication is a judicial determination and that cease-and-desist letters are often ineffective without court support; the council asked staff to provide citation and court-portal records and to update the committee at its next meeting.
Members discussed pursuing administrative enforcement evidence for court use and the possibility of seeking injunctive relief if the defendant disregards orders; no new enforcement order was issued at the meeting.
