City says temporary signs allowed outside of public right of way
New rules for temporary signs will focus on keeping them on private property and out of the road right-ofway.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, members approved a revised sign ordinance governing temporary signs. According to Mayor Mike Wellner, the main reason for the sign ordinance was because the old city ordinance was far more restrictive and could be interpreted to not allow even the signs located on outfield fences in the city ball field.
Wellner said the initial proposed ordinance from the planning commission had put a limit of 20 signs per event. However, review by the city’s attorney raised concerns that limit would be hard to enforce and would not be likely to withstand a legal challenge.
Under the new rule, there is no limit on the number of signs to be placed, but they must be located on private property rather than in the road right-of-way. In residential areas, the right-of-way is immediately adjacent to the street and is the boulevard space between the road and sidewalks.
Council member Mike Bub asked if there were limits for how long signs could be up following an event. Wellner noted that state law addresses political campaign signs, but that the city is not putting a limit on how long a special event sign can remain in someone’s yard. In practical terms, it was noted that most people would take them down after an event was over or when they had to remove them in order to mow their lawns.
In other business, council members:
• Received an update from Medford school administrator Laura Lundy. It has been an annual tradition for the school administrator to visit area municipal boards to answer questions and give an update on the school. Lundy reported on the plans for the district to go to referendum for $22.6 million in district-wide maintenance and the remodeling work as well as classroom and tech ed. expansions at the high school. She reported that the district’s enrollment levels were holding steady with relatively minor fluctuations up and down in the brick and mortar buildings.
• Approved issuing and sale of up to $236,811 in Water System Revenue Bonds under the clean water program. City coordinator Joe Harris explained this is from the water main project completed at the high school. Getting the loan through the DNR program will allow for 50% principal forgiveness over the life of the loan with the interest rate at below 2%. “It is a pretty good deal,” Harris said.
• Approved a three-year contract with TextMyGov, a software company based in Logan, Utah to provide textbased information services to the city for both sending and receiving information between city staff and residents. City clerk Ashley Lemke said the contract allows for 50,000 text messages to be sent each year and noted that the first year is a learning year with adjustments based on how much is actually used. Alerts would be sent out for things like water shut off notices or for more general things like updates on power outages or storms. The cost for the program is $6,300 for the first year and $4,200 per year after.
• Approved a $0.27 per month increase in the amount billed for solid waste and recycling customers. Of the increase, 22 cents is for reduce and 5 cents is for recycling. This reflects increases in the city’s contract with Advanced Disposal.
• Approved a class B liquor license for LaChapinita Guatemalan Restaurant located at 149 S. Main St. The city had an open license after a restaurant location on Hwy 13 did not renew theirs.
• Approved accepting a $1 million community development block grant for improvements at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The total project is expected to cost about $7 million.
• Approved the contract with Ayres Associates for the upcoming capital improvement projects for 2025 at a cost of $144,100. The engineering would be for the full reconstruction on Musky Court from the intersection with Musky Lane to terminate 500 feet South. This will include new sanitary sewer, water, storm sewer, curb and gutter and new asphalt. In addition, the city is planning to extend sanitary sewer line 910 feet for the Johnson property located on Peps Drive. The city will have Ayres complete the permitting for Well No. 14 to submit to the PSC for approval to continue with developing the new well. The city will also hire Ayres to design watermain replacement on Broadway Ave from the intersection with Hwy 13 to South Ninth St., approximately 670 feet of new 12' water main. The current water main is located in the driving lane of East bound traffic and is undersized for Well #12 serving the North pressure zone.
• Approved a six month extension for construction to begin on the Meyer parcels on Joann’s Circle. As part of the sale of land by the city, developers had a set amount of time to begin construction with the option of requesting a one time six-month extension. The owners of the lots are in the process of selling four of them to another party and the extension is part of the sale. Under the purchase agreements for the parcels, buyers have 18 months to begin construction and may ask for a one-time 6-month extension to that.
