Columbia is considering starting to enforce an ordinance that requires businesses to pay a $25 annual fee for signs.
“The city’s losing revenue, but it’s also just nobody’s being held accountable for their signs,” Bo Williams, who recently took over as building inspector, said during Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
Mayor Justin McKenzie brought the issue up, but aldermen asked to have time to read the ordinance before going further.
The law regulating outdoor advertising has been on the books since 1993 but has not been enforced. Ordinance No. 460 requires getting a permit before putting up a sign and then paying the annual fee.
The building inspector can order signs to be taken down if they don’t comply. However, the ordinance does not specify how big signs can be or how and where they can be built.
The ordinance states it is “necessary to protect the public investment in public streets, roads and highways” and to “promote the safety and recreational value of public travel, and to preserve the natural beauty by regulating outdoor advertising within the city.”
McKenzie said it came to their attention when Wendy’s and a title loan company asked what the rules were because they wanted to upgrade their signage. He said they had to admit they didn’t know and looked up the ordinance.
He said they reviewed other cities like Hattiesburg, Laurel and Forest, and all of them have stricter sign policies being enforced that include fines if you don’t adhere to the rules.
McKenzie said you could drive up Mississippi 13 North and see many blown out signs. He said the ordinance is important for maintaining the city’s image and representing the community well.
Also, McKenzie said there’s nothing restricting signs in residential areas now and that there are many areas classified as commercial within neighborhoods. He said it would devalue property if someone put up a wooden sign for a business within a neighborhood only to find it rotting and falling down two years later.
“It’s not fair to the neighborhood,” the mayor said.
The $25 would be added to business permit fees. McKenzie said they would probably charge per sign if a building has multiple signs.
Alderman Wendell Hammond said there’s no use in having an ordinance if they’re not going to enforce it but said there’s a lot of ordinances on the books.
Alderman Edward Hough asked if the ordinance had ever been enforced since 1993. City officials weren’t sure. He also said the previous two boards tried unsuccessfully enforcing sign laws regarding yard sales.
“I understand the ordinance, but all I see is a nightmare. I just think we need to cruise and do a little bit more studying,” Hough said.
Board Attorney Lawrence Hahn said they may have to change the ordinance and need one that fits the community.
McKenzie said the city needs at least three people on its building and code enforcement team. He said Hattiesburg has 18 as it tries to hold residents and businesses to a higher standard to increase property values.
The mayor said they would email the ordinance to aldermen for review and bring the issue back up at a future meeting.
Pictured Above: Traffic drives by signs on Mississippi 13 Thursday. The city has had an ordinance regulating business signs on its books since 1993, but it has not been enforced. Aldermen are weighing how to handle the issue. | Photo by Charlie Smith
