The Tooele City Council passed the latest revision of the city’s controversial signs ordinance Wednesday night, but it’s likely not the last time the ordinance will cross the council’s desk.
The council unanimously approved an amendment that will allow businesses to hang banners on their buildings instead of solid-backed wall signs, and to advertise special events, such as grand openings or holiday sales with any legal signage they choose.
The amendment also introduces regulations regarding the operation of electronic signs.
Councilman Scott Wardle also made a last-minute adjustment to the ordinance that legalized the use of feather signs in the city so long as they meet guidelines regarding height and location.
The amendment, which council members have said is the first step toward deregulating an excessively restrictive ordinance, was well received by members of the public who attended the meeting.
“We really feel like we’ve made some progress and we are very thankful for the city council’s time and efforts,” said Allie Derrick, owner of GG Beauty in Tooele.
Council chairman Brad Pratt said the changes included in the amendment are the result of suggestions that came from Tooele’s business community.
“I want you to know that contrary to what has been out there in the media, we have listened to you. We have,” he said. “All of the changes we have put into this ordinance have come from suggestions from you. You need to know that.”
Wardle agreed, adding that he knew businesses felt they hadn’t been included when the city first started work on the signs ordinance. But, he said, the city didn’t know who to go to about gathering public input at first.
Councilwoman Debbie Winn said she was glad to see more public participation in the process at recent city meetings. The last time the council voted on an amendment to the signs ordinance, no one came to the public hearing, she said.
But Winn spoke to a crowd of about 20 local business owners and residents on Wednesday, and she said other talks that have taken place helped to eliminate some of the myths about what the signs ordinance did and did not contain.
“I appreciate those that have attended the workshops that we have held and put their options on the table,” she said. “That is how government is supposed to work and how it will continue to work.”
With all the continued input on the ordinance, Pratt said he thought it is unlikely that Wednesday’s vote will be the last the city will have to say about the signs ordinance. Ordinances are “a living, breathing animal” he said, and can change as necessary.
However, he cautioned that not every request could be accommodated in future revisions because the city also has to take safety and the desires of residents into account.
“I view it like this: We don’t want Mario Andretti assigning the speed limit on our Main Street,” he said. “Even though he can negotiate Main Street at a high speed, the rest of us can’t. And so we have to take many of these things into consideration when we’re working on ordinances and come up with a good balance.”