News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Livingston Alderman discussed possible sign ordinance changes during Monday night’s Aldermen meeting.
Alderman Bruce Elder said many auctioneers and real estate companies rely on signs to advertise their businesses. Elder said he wants to see a change to the ordinance that would allow businesses to display signs without being a nuisance.
“I think they would compliment both the auctioneer’s signs and be not so intrusive to our public citizens when they see these,” Elder said. “They’ll go up, they go down within a specific time.”
City Attorney Andre Greppin said currently the ordinance does not have an area within city limits that prohibits signs. Greppin said the ordinance only regulates the size of signs, the location of signs, and what kind of material they are made out of.
“If there’s a conception that real estate signs are not aloud or auction signs are not aloud that is just not the case,” Greppin said.
Greppin said that depending on the type of sign the sign can be larger than the ordinance states.
“I think in industrial and some commercial they can be as large as 24 square feet,” Greppin said. “So it just depends on where it is in town based on where the zoning is at.”
Greppin said as long as the the right of way is in city limits the city has authority over it. Greppin said currently the ordinance states that temporary signs are not allowed on any right of way whether it is a city or state right of way.
Elder said signs are needed as some people may be lost to what is going on without them.
“I know that there is the internet but if you look at what you got out there a lot of these people that are looking at these signs are probably people that are 50 years old and older,” Elder said. “They are not internet savvy. They have no idea on how to look at the internet.”
The board approved to discuss the possible ordinance changes in a future work session.
Elder also proposed the city obtain billboard signs to direct people to the downtown area. The board approved to discuss the topic in a future work session. Alderman Arno Proctor was the only one to not vote in favor of discussing the billboards at a work session.
“You gotta be kidding me we are talking about billboards in town,” Proctor said. “Is that what you are talking about Bruce, I mean a privately owned company putting up a billboard within the city limits.”
In other business, Downtown Revitalization Chairman Ray Evans said the project on South Church Street is almost completed. Evans said the last phase is painting the road markings. Evans said that has been delayed as cold weather hinders the paint from sticking.
