Tuesday’s dust-up over sign code enforcement demonstrated the simmering tension between the Pierce County Council and the executive branch. It also showed how two little words made a different between enforcing and not enforcing the sign law.
When it approved this year’s budget, the council included a provision that set aside $100,000 in the county road fund for removing illegal signs from public rights of way. The provision is worded this way: “Provided up to $100,000 of this appropriation shall be used by the Public Works and Utilities Department to operate a countywide sign enforcement and abatement project ... .” (italics are mine).
Those two words – “up to” – constitute one front in the ongoing tussle between the county’s legislative and executive branches over budget control. They permit the public works department to spend $100,000 on sign code enforcement. But public works director Brian Ziegler contends nothing in the language requires the department to spend that amount on sign enforcement. The way Ziegler sees it, the department can spend less (or nothing) on sign enforcement. It just can’t spend more.
County departments have used that wiggle room with other budget line items as revenue dries up and they need to hoard cash. But the council could be getting wise, at least when it comes to the illegal signs provision.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, Councilman Shawn Bunney, R-Lake Tapps, asked Ziegler how the council might word the provision differently to ensure the money is spent on sign enforcement.
Ziegler said the council might use the words “at least” instead of “up to” to strengthen the provision. That would require the department to spend a minimum amount on sign enforcement.
“It’s a small nuance,” Ziegler said. ...
David Wickert, The News Tribune
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