Council passed the first reading of the newly revised sign ordinance in a 4-1 vote on Tuesday night at the regularly scheduled meeting. Kim Clarkson cast the dissenting vote, with Cochrane, Mayor Blackburn, Eychner, and Sigerman in favor of the law that was also approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission on August 15. A second reading must be held and approved before the proposal becomes law.
Council made one amendment to the P&Z version of the law: the “static time” was lengthened from four seconds to eight seconds. The static time refers to the amount of time that a message must “hold” on the screen before transitioning to a new message.
Councilmember Kim Clarkson stated that although she supports re-writing the code, she hoped that approval could be postponed until some of the concerns were worked out.
Changes
Some of the updates to the sign ordinance include:
- Adding and clarifying definitions of various types of signs including Awning Signs, Canopy Signs, Electronic Displays, and Murals.
- Adding graphical elements to illustrate the code.
- Allowing a one-second “fade” on electronic displays
- Lowering the height requirement for awning, canopy, and projecting signs to 6’8″
- Simplifies requirements for incidental signs
- Exempting government flags and signs from the ordinance
- Exempting traffic control devices
- Requiring a 6″ frame/border around electronic displays
- Providing a maximum size of 32 square feet for electronic displays
- Lengthening the “hold time” or “static time” of electronic displays to eight seconds (added by council)
Process
The process of re-writing the sign ordinance began with the Code Review Committee (CRC) in October 2018. The committee, made up of approximately 15 community members, worked on several ordinances with some of the goals including bringing the laws in line with modern technology, making them easier to understand and enforce, and eliminate any confusion or vagueness. The Code Review Committee held several public meetings as well as an open house to discuss the changes they would propose to the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z).
The CRC passed their recommendations to the P&Z, which included a provision to allow certain businesses to install an electronic sign up to 64 square feet in surface area — doubling the current maximum. P&Z held a public hearing on August 15. During that meeting, approximately 14 individuals spoke against a proposed size increase, with two supporting an increase. P&Z removed the increased surface area from the proposed ordinance, among other minor changes, and sent the ordinance up the chain to City Council.
Council must vote and approve of two “readings” of a proposed new ordinance for it to become law. Tuesday’s meeting (September 10) was the first reading, and a second reading will be scheduled for an upcoming council meeting. If the proposal is approved on the second reading, it becomes law.
References
- Agenda Packet for September 10 City Council Meeting
- Proposed Ordinance No. 2019-23
- Proposed re-write of Chapter 92, Sign Code
- Kerrville City Council website
- Kerrville Daily Times article published on September 11, 2019
Video
Here is the full video of Tuesday night’s meeting.
