10-12-2005 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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accurately note that a residence is prohibited from erecting, without a permit, a small sign stating even such innocuous messages as 'Go Vikings.' " Webb's opponents admit the local ordinances are often vulnerable to that sort of attack, though they add that crafting laws that protect cities from clutter while protecting citizens' rights to expression is tricky stuff. What can be difficult to get across to judges, they say, is that Webb is not really an embattled defender of citizens' rights, but an entrepreneur who most likely scans municipal codes on the Internet and then arranges to have a preposterous request made on behalf of "companies" that aren't quite what they appear. John Baker, the Minneapolis attorney representing Eden Prairie, said of Webb's Minnesota client, Advantage Media: "They have built no billboards. They have posted no signs." In Eden Prairie, Advantage Media sought 14 double -sided billboards, 672 square feet, each containing six rotating commercial messages, Baker said. That's not allowed, he said, not only because they're too big and ugly but because they're dangerous, with constantly shifting messages distracting to motorists. Baker declined to estimate what it will cost to fight the case. But others said a full -scale battle can cost more than $100,000. Both cities hope to have the case thrown out of court short of any trial, which would cut the bill considerably. "Governments prevail more often than not," Baker said. "But I have yet to see a case get a quick, three -page order. More often, governments that try and win quickly and easily, have it backfire -- the court says: 'Not so fast.' " As for Webb, he told Judge Doty he takes quite a lot of satisfaction from the efforts cities make to straighten out their laws. "We're gratified they've continued to modify their ordinance," he said of Eden Prairie. "They're correcting most of the deficiencies." David Peterson is at dapeterson@startribune.com. -4