The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Council passes sign ordinance regulations
$50 fee assessed for businesses, civic groups signage around village
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 10, 2008
After a year and a half of revising and negotiating, Manchester Village finally has its sign ordinance.
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Following a public hearing and final last-minute corrections, the Manchester Village Council approved Ordinance 269, during Monday's meeting at the Manchester Village Hall.
The ordinance addresses the regulations for temporary signs including portable display signs, promotional signs and banners, charitable activity signs and permitted real estate signs. The physical dimensions, structure and conditions of the signs are also covered in the ordinance, as is the length of time temporary signs can be displayed.
While council members were relieved to finally have the ordinance passed, Village Manager Jeff Wallace said there's still work ahead with getting residents educated on the sign regulations and how to obtain permits.
"I see it being extra work, but we'll try and do as much as we can with letters explaining the process," Wallace said. "The biggest thing I see will be with the charitable groups."
Among the final corrections made to the ordinance Monday included the process for obtaining sign permits. For a business or civic/charitable group to display a new sign, it pays a one-time application fee of $50 for that sign (the permit is annual and carries over to the next year). The sign owners are allowed to make changes to the sign, such as rewording and painting, as long as they don't change the physical structure and dimensions of the sign.
Businesses and charitable groups will need to obtain a new permit, and pay another $50 application fee if they display a new sign or make physical changes to the old one.
Businesses are required to have the village as an additional named insured for their signs. That is not a requirement for civic and charitable groups.
"If you buy a new sign, you need to get a new permit," village president Pat Vailliencourt said.
Wallace said he believes that the $50 application fee is comparable to other parts of the county.
"For other cities it's $50 and up, and it has to be paid annually," Wallace said.
Trustee Jordan Herron also believes that having a one-time fee simplifies the process.
"It's easier on the staff because you have a one-time fee and we can put it away," Herron said.
Civic or charitable groups wanting to display a sign promoting their event or organization must have approval from the Manchester Village Zoning Adminstrator. Once the Zoning Administrator determines that the sign follows the guidelines of the ordinance, the group then receives its permit after meeting with the Manchester Village Council.
"If a non-profit group wants a sign in the Central Business District, then it must follow the CBD rules," Wallace said.
Signs in the CBD must be placed so that the outer edge of the display shall not be more than 30 inches from the face of the building. One portable display sign is permitted for each principal public entrance, adjacent to that entrance for buildings with distinct and separate uses.
Manchester Downtown Development Authority Chairman Karl Racenis, who owns the Manchester Mill, feels that having a sign ordinance is a good move to protect business owners.
"From the point of view of a downtown business and property owner, having an ordinance is a good thing," Racenis said. "It's a wonderful safeguard for business owners against lawsuits. If I'm in compliance with the ordinance, I have a leg to stand on, but if I put out a sign that's against it, that's a sign of negligence on my part."
The complete sign ordinance can be viewed on the Manchester Village Web site, www.vil-manchester.org.
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