The recession gets blamed for many a deficit these days and often rightfully so. But Pierce County’s failure to rid street corners and rights of way of illegal signs can’t be so easily explained away.
Long before the current economic troubles, Pierce County was doing a poor job of dealing with roadside clutter. Tolerance bred, if not contempt for the law, then ignorance of it. And the community was the uglier for it.
Relief of a sort came in 2007 when the Pierce County Council launched an experimental sign-removal program in East Pierce County. The work continued into 2008, aided by a $168,000 earmark in the 2008 budget.
In all, county workers collected more than 16,000 signs – that is, until their work came to a halt last August.
Public works officials have cited various reasons for abandoning the crackdown: They didn’t know how to handle new rules adopted by the County Council; the department has more pressing priorities; the council didn’t correctly word a budget provision appropriating $100,000 to the task this year.
Whatever the explanation, illegal signs have proliferated in the absence of anyone doing anything about them. News Tribune reporter David Wickert recently counted 37 signs at just two East Pierce County intersections.
County budgets are certainly tight, but paving roads vs. tolerating blight is a false choice. Both contribute immeasurably to taxpayers’ quality of life. Financial troubles aren’t a reason to abandon enforcement, but they certainly should prompt a re-evaluation of tactics.
The county enforces its law in a way that virtually ensures sign-removal will remain a perpetual drain on resources. Simply collecting signs without going after the violators has as much deterrent effect as stitching up assault victims while leaving their attackers on the loose.
Public works officials say that writing citations would cost more money than it’s worth. That might be true if the county tried to issue a ticket for every illegal sign it finds.
But what about targeting a few of the worst repeat offenders? Public works crews undoubtedly have a pretty good idea of who they are by now. Start levying hefty fines for the most egregious cases, and word will get around.
County Council members would likely take some heat for that approach. Some business owners are liable to complain that a bad economy is the wrong time to get tough on free advertising locations.
But the alternative is telling citizens the recession justifies looking the other way as scenic roadsides are trashed. Telling them, in effect, that the look and feel of Pierce County isn’t worth the bother. County government should be embarrassed to make that argument.
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