Billboard debate sparks accusations of deception
D'Amato, Bauman trade shots

March 24, 2008 -- Ald. Michael D'Amato accused colleagues seeking stricter regulations on electronic billboards of misleading the Common Council and Ald. Robert Bauman returned the favor by accusing D'Amato of "dissembling" on the issue.

The council last eventually voted to allow digital billboards to change their messages as often as every eight seconds. The council also, however, adopted restrictions sponsored by by Ald. Michael Murphy and Bauman that require requests for digital billboards to go to the Board of Zoning Appeals if they would be more than 1,000 feet from a freeway or the Lake Parkway.

The requirement will allow members of the public to have more input, Murphy said.

D'Amato said the legislation, which aldermen had in front of them at the time, would affect signs in a variety of neighborhoods, but only residential neighborhoods were discussed during the debate.

"I'm not sure if ...we were purposely misled by the sponsors or if the conversation just kind of went in that that way," he said.

D'Amato

D'Amato offered an amendment that would limit BOZA consideration to digital billboards in residential neighborhoods, but Murphy and Bauman said that the amendment would essentially negate the entire requirement for BOZA hearings.

The ordinance already would prohibit electronic, changeable message boards within 400 feet of residential neighborhoods from which the signs would be visible, Bauman said.

D'Amato's amendment was rejected, 8-6.

"It's a deliberate attempt to deceive us here," Bauman said. "Now, I suspect no one's falling for it."

Bauman

While the discussion centered around residential neighborhoods, he said, the language in the ordinance made clear that the BOZA requirement would apply in other circumstances as well.

"It is dissembling that's going on here," he said. "I don't know why there is such a desire to protect this industry at any cost, and the taxpayer and the public be damned."

The Murphy / Bauman version of the ordinance passed on a 9-5 vote with Aldermen Joe Davis, Willie Wade, James Witkowiak, T. Anthony Zielinski and Willie Hines Jr. opposed.

Council committee approves billboard changes
Tougher rules rejected

March 17, 2008 -- Billboards would be able to change electronic messages every eight seconds, but their brightness and visibility from residential neighborhoods would be restricted, under a compromise ordinance endorsed last week by a Common Council committee.

The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee recommended adoption of the ordinance after a series of amendments offered by Michael Murphy were defeated on 3-2 votes.

Murphy sought to prohibit the signs from changing messages more than once every 30 seconds; to require Board of Zoning Appeals approval of any new electronic message signs or conversion of existing static billboards; and to require BOZA approval for converting existing billboards that are more than 1,000 feet from a freeway or the Lake Parkway.

"When these signs are changed over, I want to make sure the public has an opportunity to have a voice," Murphy said. He was joined in pushing for more restrictions by Ald. Robert Bauman.

Ald. Michael D'Amato, though, said the restrictions were unnecessary.

"To indicate that we need all these restriction to protect us from this new technology that's going to eat our children is looking at this in only one way," he said.

Some people are very supportive of the signs, he said.

"These signs do have a constituency that do find them to be effective and do find them to be an improvement over existing billboards," he said.

The proposal that is advancing to the Common Council is stricter than a previous version that appeared to be on its way to passage. Under that version, billboards could change electronic messages every six seconds. They otherwise were governed by the same rules and ordinances that govern static billboards.

The latest version of the ordinance would:

• Allow changeable message signs to change messages once every 8 seconds.
• Require that off-premise electronic changeable billboards be at least 400 feet from any residential district from which the sign face is visible.
• Require at least 1,000 feet between any two electronic changeable billboards that are visible to drivers facing the same direction.
• Ban speakers and all forms of pyrotechnics in the billboards.
• Prohibit nuisance light on residential properties.
• Allow the Department of Public Works to order a sign turned off if it interferes with traffic or traffic signals. DPW representatives would be required to meet with the sign owner within 48 hours to try to find a solution to the problem.

The Common Council will vote on the matter Tuesday.

Restrictions added to proposed billboard ordinance
Less frequent message changes, residential protections included

March 10, 2008 - Electronic billboards with changeable messages could not be located within 400 feet of residential areas if the signs would be visible from the homes, under a proposed ordinance to be considered by a Common Council committee this week.

The proposed ordinance would restrict the brightness and placement of the signs, and require that messages change no more frequently than every eight seconds. Previous versions of the ordinance did not include the siting restrictions and would have allowed the messages to change every six seconds.

The rules governing the electronic billboards would expire in March 2010, when a Federal Highway Administration study on safety issues related to the signs is expected to be completed.

"It is the intent of the Common Council that the City’s policies relating to automatic changeable message signs be reevaluated when this study is completed and released to the public, and at that time the City may adopt policies consistent with the study," according to the resolution, sponsored by Ald. Michael D'Amato.

Ald. Michael Murphy, who with Ald. Robert Bauman led the opposition to the earlier versions of the ordinance, said he and Bauman "are pleased the restrictions we've been pushing for have been taken seriously and are included in the legislation."

Murphy said he still supports limiting the frequency of message changes to no more than once every 30 seconds, as the Department of Public Works recommended.

The council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee will consider the issue Friday afternoon.

The proposed ordinance would:

• Allow changeable message signs to change messages once every 8 seconds.
• Require that off-premise electronic changeable billboards be at least 400 feet from any residential district from which the sign face is visible.
• Require at least 1,000 feet between any two electronic changeable billboards that are visible to drivers facing the same direction.
• Ban speakers and all forms of pyrotechnics in the billboards.
• Prohibit nuisance light on residential properties.
• Allow the Department of Public Works to order a sign turned off if it interferes with traffic or traffic signals. DPW representatives would be required to meet with the sign owner within 48 hours to try to find a solution to the problem.