A metro area sign task force has developed portable sign regulations that balance business interests with aesthetic and safety issues, says a Moorhead planning official.
But some mobile sign company owners say the regulation is an attempt to get rid of portable signs without banning them.
"That would completely cripple us," Chris Bolton of Bolton's Mobile Advertising said Thursday of the proposal.
Representatives from Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo have developed a recommendation they will now forward to each planning and zoning Commission, said Jeff Schaumann, Moorhead Planning and Zoning Administrator.
A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 20 in the new commission chambers at the Fargo Civic Center with planning and zoning boards from each of the three cities.
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Some changes include:
- Limiting the size of portable signs to 40 square feet, with a maximum height of 6.5 feet.
- Businesses can display portable signs for no more than 56 days per year.
- A sign can be displayed for no more than 14 consecutive days.
The recommendation is similar to an ordinance West Fargo city commissioners considered in June. They decided to delay action until consistent regulations could be developed for the metro area.
Currently mobile sign regulations vary in Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo, making it confusing for business owners and sign companies.
The size restriction is the main complaint of mobile sign companies, said Chris and Sarah Bolton of the Horace, N.D., business.
Standard portable signs in Fargo-Moorhead are 60 square feet.
The Boltons' fleet of signs includes 60 of those and four 32-square-foot signs.
"We'd have to take every trailer we own and reconstruct it," Sarah Bolton said. Each sign costs the Boltons $1,000 to construct, not including lettering or labor costs.
Stan Knecht, owner of High Impact Signs near Sabin, Minn., said he thinks the regulation is an attempt to get rid of mobile signs by making it impossible for sign companies to stay in business.
Planning staff from each of the three cities met with mobile sign company representatives to get input, said West Fargo Planning Director Larry Weil.
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As a result of that meeting, the task force extended the timeframe to enforce the smaller sign requirement from six months to one year, Schaumann said.
Sign providers thought they should have been notified of the task force's other meetings, Chris Bolton said.
The task force's four meetings were not publicized, though they weren't behind closed doors, Schaumann said.
The Forum did not receive prior notice of the task force's meetings.
The public will have an opportunity to give input at the Nov. 20 meeting, Weil said. Each city commission also will have to approve any regulations.
Readers can reach Forum reporter
Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
