The Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen postponed indefinitely further action on a proposed sign ordinance until details within it can be worked out in committee and the city can get more public input on it.
Mayor Keith McDonald proposed the delay at the board’s meeting Aug. 23. He said the ordinance has been given to city attorney Edward McKinney for a legal review to ensure none of the provisions conflict with Supreme Court rulings.
The board unanimously approved the postponement.
Alderman Kevin Quinn asked how the committee would be established and McDonald said he would appoint Vice Mayor Jack Young to chair it and that any aldermen who wanted to be on the committee could. He also will accept the names of citizens who would like to be part of the committee.
At the ordinance’s first reading on Aug. 9, Quinn and Alderman Mandy Young proposed changes in verbiage to sections of the document. The board approved one amendment, extending from 30 days to 60 days the amount of time a resident could display holiday lights, decorations and inflatables in their yard.
But there were other discussions about limiting the number of signs a person can display in their yard and for how long. As written, the ordinance would allow up to two signs to be displayed temporarily for a total of no more than 60 days in a year.
While the ordinance would not regulate the content of signs, it would not allow someone to have a “I Support St. Jude” sign in their yard, for example, for more than 60 days in a year.
The ordinance also would create a commercial corridor for signs on Highway 70, up to 2,000 feet north of Stage Road, if the commercial property owner has at least 5 acres, 1,000 feet of frontage, and their land is zoned O-R-I.
That would allow the mixed-use Union Row development on the former Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home property to erect a ground sign of a maximum 200 square feet in size, 10 feet in width and 20 feet in height.
Notices will be sent when the first sign ordinance committee meeting is scheduled.
In other business Aug. 23, the board unanimously approved renaming Municipal Park behind City Hall to Mark Brown Municipal Park after the city’s chief administrative officer, and the Fire Department Training Center to the Terry Wiggins Fire Training Center after the city’s fire chief.
