The Pierce County Council and the county executive have signed a truce in their war over signs.
After meetings this week between County Executive Pat McCarthy and Council Chairman Roger Bush, the county now will do what it can – within budget limits – to clean up the worst roadsides and intersections.
According to the deal, all commercial signs on public rights of way that are considered a safety hazard will be removed by county crews. Then the county will work to clean up the 10 to 15 most cluttered intersections. The plan also calls for regular sweeps along the county’s major arterials.
“We were able to come up with a reasonable solution that balances a number of needs,” McCarthy said in a joint statement. “This plan enforces a greater level of compliance, while protecting legitimate commerce such as real estate advertising that follows the sign law.”
The owners of illegally placed signs will receive a letter telling them of the removal and reminding them of county sign ordinances.
“These signs are unsafe, unsightly and unlawful, and residents have said they want them removed,” Bush and McCarthy said in the joint statement. “They pose a safety hazard to drivers and utility workers, and are a visual blight on otherwise beautiful parts of our county.”
The program is expected to cost about $95,000 – close to the $100,000 limit set by the council in the current budget.
It is illegal to plaster signs on utility poles and mount commercial signs within the public right of way – median strips and the shoulder of roads usually located between the pavement and the utility poles. Political signs have more protection under the federal and state constitutions and are handled differently.
For years the law brought little enforcement, leading to complaints that the proliferation was unsightly and even dangerous when signs blocked visibility at intersections.
The council has struggled to respond to complaints. An enforcement campaign was effective in 2007 and 2008 when thousands of illegally placed signs were removed by county road crews. A two-month crackdown in summer 2007 yielded 4,226 signs. Another 11,923 signs were picked up last year.
But two things happened to limit the effort. First the council changed the ordinance and made it more complicated, county officials said. The changes allowed business owners to advertise near their businesses and real estate agents to place temporary signs to promote open houses.
Then the public works department decided that in the face of budget cuts, picking up sign clutter wasn’t a priority. Because the budget said the department could spend “up to” $100,000 on enforcement, it could spend zero and be within the law, technically at least.
That increased complaints to council members and they, in turn, turned up pressure on public works. At one council meeting, Bush went after public works director Brian Ziegler, calling his explanations “hogwash” and accusing him of mismanaging his agency.
An angry McCarthy shot back, saying Bush was pandering to the public and turning the discussion into a “public opera.”
The current deal will be monitored and public works will report back to the council on its effectiveness.
Peter Callaghan: 253-597-8657
peter.callaghan@thenewstribune.com
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