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Signs, enforcement topic of debate for Dundee City Council |
By David Sale,
Newberg Graphic reporter
E-mail David at dsale@eaglenewspapers.com |
The Dundee City Council
will return Aug. 22 to one of its long-running topics of debate with
a workshop on the city sign code during its regular meeting.
Although the council approved in November 2006 a change to the
city’s development ordinance limiting the number and placement of
sandwich boards, it is a rule rarely followed, according to
councilor Craig Roggers.
“We’ve talked about rewriting the sign code as part of our downtown
plan, but that’s on hold,” he said. “The problem is that the present
regulations aren’t enforced — there’s violation after violation up
and down the highway and nothing is done about it.”
The changes to Dundee’s city code regulated the “sandwich boards”
or A-frame signs used by some local merchants to attract weekend
traffic along Highway 99W.
The ordinance limited such signs to one per business, only to be
displayed during business hours. It also specified that clearance be
left for pedestrians if signs were placed on sidewalks, and required
businesses to secure a permit from the city, releasing the city from
responsibility for signs in the public right-of-way.
But in the absence of a code enforcement officer, city officials
admit they have no real way to track violators.
“We rely on people coming to us,” said City Manager Rob Daykin.
“The city did an inventory of existing (permanent) signs two years
ago and non-conforming signs were allowed to remain under the new
sign code. But we haven’t done another survey since them.”
“This makes things worse for the businesses that follow the rules,”
Roggers said. “We followed the rules for my wife’s
business. Sure, permanent signs can be grandfathered in, but to sit
and not enforce these (temporary sign use rules), despite having
violations pointed out, there’s something wrong. I want the city to
make a declaration — either to enforce this law or not.”
But enforcement does occur, said real estate broker Kelly Hagglund,
who frequently advertises open house events in Dundee with temporary
signs.
“We had one instance with an opening for a subdivision where our
guy put the sign in the wrong place,” she said. “We were called by
the police and told we needed to move it, and we did.”
Although characterized by Roggers as a repeat offender of the
temporary sign code regulations, Hagglund responded: “I think
that’s the only time. We wouldn’t get a permit unless we intended to
display a sign on a regular basis on the same spot. You don’t need a
permit to put up a sign for a garage sale — it’s only for a day or
two, and so are ours.”
To Roggers, the question is larger than just a matter of cluttered
sidewalks, but speaks to Dundee’s difficulty in enforcing a wide
range of nuisance regulations.
“Who enforces the codes today?” he asked. “Why do we even have
codes if they can’t be enforced without an enforcement officer? The
city needs to get off the fence and come up with a solution that’s
fair and equitable.”
Farmer’s market seeks exemption from code
As the Dundee City Council debates enforcement of its sign code,
one issue has proved particularly divisive: the use of city property
for advertising purposes.
In past years, the Dundee Farmer’s Market has made use of a set of
poles on city property along Highway 99W near Fox Farm Road to
display banners advertising the weekly event.
But an ordinance proposed by councilor Craig Roggers would restrict
the use of that site for banners advertising city-sponsored events,
or events sponsored by other government agencies.
Noting that the city is legally prohibited from approving or
denying use of that site based on the content of the sign, Roggers
said: “If we’re going to open it up to businesses — and make no
mistake, the Farmer’s Market is a business — than it should be open
to any business that wants to advertise there. They pay taxes, they
deserve the same privilege.”
But, if enacted, this proposed law would also exclude community
groups such as the Dundee Women’s Club from using the site to
advertise their events.
“We need to do what’s best for the city as a whole,” said council
member Ivon Miller, a supporter of the women’s club. “Groups and
events that benefit the community should be allowed to put their
banners there.”
A potential compromise discussed by council members is allowing the
site to be used by nonprofit groups. Farmer’s Market organizer Mike
Ragsdale, noting that the market seldom turns a profit, has pledged
to register the market as a nonprofit corporation in exchange for
continued access to the site.
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Published
July 25, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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