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Dundee gets its turn at sign code |
By David Sale,
Newberg Graphic reporter
E-mail David at
dsale@eaglenewspapers.com
|
The latest broadside by
Howard Meredith, an anti-Measure 49 banner recently erected on his
purple house, led to further discussion of the city sign code at the
Dundee City council’s Tuesday meeting.
The issue was raised by council member Ivon Miller, who felt the
sign was offensive (reading in part: “Don’t F with Measure 37”) and
wanted to inquire about its legality under the sign code.
While the content may not constitute a violation, other council
members speculated as to whether Meredith was in violation of the
code by posting a campaign sign more than 30 days before an
election.
“I agree it’s offensive, but we need to enforce the code, not
discuss content,” said councilor Craig Roggers, the council’s
strongest advocate for greater code enforcement. “We should do
something about this — and about all the other violations in
downtown.”
The council agreed to discuss the matter further with City Planner
Walt Wendolowski at its Aug. 22 meeting and consider possible
courses of action, including issuing citations to non-compliant
businesses.
The council also reached a compromise on a related matter, posting
banners on city-owned property near Highway 99W. After considering
limiting use of the site to banners advertising government events,
the council broadened its policy to “community-related events” after
consultation with city attorney Chris Crain.
“There’s a distinction between a traditional and a limited public
forum,” Crain explained. “City property is a limited forum. For
instance, Tri-Met is able to regulate the types of ads that appear
on the sides of their buses, because they own them.”
The expanded definition would allow the Dundee Women’s Club and
Farmer’s Market to continue to use the site, subject to regulations
on the number of banners and length of time displayed. Approval of
applications will be delegated to City Administrator Rob Daykin, and
applicants have the ability to appeal a rejection to the council as
a whole. The ordinance will be considered for adoption Aug. 22.
The council also:
— Enacted a new ordinance governing general offenses, similar to
that in effect in Newberg and replacing a similar but outdated law
in the Dundee city code.
— Allocated $3,000 to plant trees in city right-of-way along
Dogwood Avenue following the construction of a subdivision on that
street. The council also discussed changing the city development
code to make such future right-of-way landscaping improvements the
responsibility of developers.
— Approved a proposal to repair and replant the landscaping around
city hall at an estimated cost of between $1,500 and $2,000. The
project will include replacing the existing railroad tie borders
with stone and replanting the beds as a “xeriscape,” featuring
drought-resistant plants and a drip irrigation system.
— Set a workshop for Aug. 20 with consulting engineers Murray Smith
and Associates to hear an update on the reservoir project and
long-term water sources for the city. |
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From
Aug. 11, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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