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AGENDA ITEM 6 F i <br />STAFF ORIGINATOR: Jeff Smyser <br />C. C. MEETING DATE: March 12, 2007 <br />TOPIC: Second Reading: Ordinance No. 01-07 <br />Moratorium On Flashing, Changeable Signs <br />ACTION: 3/5 <br />BACKGROUND <br />Changeable electronic billboards are being installed in various areas of the country and <br />the Twin Cities. These billboards have large, digital, electronic screens that are <br />programmed to change messages. Because the advertising industry is pushing for these <br />signs, we should re-examine our sign ordinance. The ordinance establishes a moratorium <br />on the installation of the signs to allow us to fully examine the issues. The first reading <br />was approved on February 26. <br />The moratorium ordinance is pretty comprehensive. No new electronic, changing signs <br />would be allowed. While not all such signs will be deemed undesirable, we do not have <br />the information to decide this yet, nor do we have the legal language that will <br />differentiate the different types of signs. That's the purpose of the study. To try to <br />exempt some types of signs from the moratorium without the legal research and language <br />poses the danger of allowing loopholes for signs we definitely will want to prohibit. <br />A question arose about illuminated signs. The study will consider illumination of signs <br />in the context of the new technology, but the moratorium is not intended to prohibit all <br />illumination of signs. To avoid confusion, the word "illumination" has been removed <br />from the title of the ordinance. The clause establishing the moratorium (Section2, <br />paragraph 3) does not include illumination. <br />OPTIONS <br />1. Approve the second reading of Ordinance No. 01-07 adopting a moratorium on <br />digital, changing signs. <br />2. Return to staff with direction. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Option 1 <br />