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Aspen staff propose code move, mesh banners and higher fees; council approves first reading
Summary
City staff presented three linked ordinances to move banner/flag provisions to engineering code, adopt an external banner-standards document, switch Main Street banners from vinyl to mesh and update fees (flag fee example rising from $540 to $1,200 and single-sided banners from $63 to $150); council approved the ordinances on first reading and asked staff follow-up questions about nonprofit rates and phased fee increases.
Development Services Analyst Lorena Vargas, Deputy City Engineer Haley Rodell and Planner Tilly Pines presented three related ordinances at the Feb. 10 Aspen City Council meeting to consolidate banner and flag rules under engineering titles and update materials and fees.
Vargas and staff said the proposal relocates two subsections from Title 26 (signage on public property) into Title 21 (streets, sidewalks and other public places) and Title 29 (engineering design standards) to improve coordination with departments and external organizations such as the Colorado Department of Transportation, which manages Highway 82/Main Street through Aspen. Staff said they will adopt a separate banner-standards document outside the municipal code so it can be updated more quickly.
Staff recommended switching Main Street banner material from vinyl to mesh to reduce structural strain on trees and moving to single-sided banners to maximize availability. Vargas told council there are roughly 30 light poles available for flag/banner installation and staff estimated the true cost per reservation — including a two-person installation crew (about 8 hours) and 2–3 hours of administrative coordination — ranges from about $1,000 to $1,400, which helps explain the updated fee structure. Specific proposed fees mentioned in the presentation include a change for flag reservations from roughly "$540 to 1,200" and single-sided banner reservations from "$63 to 150." Staff said they reached out to current applicants and most were supportive of the proposed changes and the clearer process.
Councilors asked whether nonprofits would be exempted (staff said the majority of users are nonprofits and the rates were set with that in mind, not as an exemption) and whether fee increases could be phased in; several councilors urged a phased approach to ease applicants' budgeting. Staff confirmed installation includes removal after display.
The council moved and voted to approve all three ordinances on first reading. Staff said the ordinances will return for second reading in March with additional outreach.
Provenance: Presentation begins SEG 569; council questions run through SEG 816; first-reading vote occurs SEG 825–894.
