Council delays decision on digital billboard conversion after debate over Old Town rules

Miss Moore, a Clear Channel representative, urged the council to allow conversions of existing billboards to remote digital messaging and asked the council to reduce the proposed minimum message duration from 10 seconds to 8 seconds to align with TxDOT and Federal Highway Administration practice. "And so we just respectfully request that you adjust that 10 2nd duration to 8 seconds," she said.

Ed, the staff director who presented the ordinance, told the council staff had drafted the change to align local rules near Interstate 20 with common practice and that staff had no objection to the 8-second standard. He also said the intent for Old Town was narrow: to allow small monument electronic signs for civic uses such as the library or senior center and to measure eligibility from the edge of the right-of-way. Several council members pressed staff to clarify how the city would measure the 40-foot frontage threshold and whether churches or nonprofits would be allowed to use electronic signs in Old Town.

After extended discussion about defining the frontage measurement, consistency with TxDOT clearance standards and the risk of sign proliferation in residential parts of Old Town, Council Member Jeff moved to postpone Ordinance 7 99 to allow staff to clean up language and return with a tighter proposal. The motion was seconded and carried. Council asked staff to return with clarified definitions of eligible locations and any recommended exceptions.