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City of <br />River <br />Request for Action <br />To <br />Item Number <br />Mayor and City Council <br />10.1 <br />Agenda Section <br />Meeting Date <br />Prepared by <br />Work Session <br />September 2, 2014 <br />T. John Cunningham, Fire Chief <br />Item Description <br />Reviewed by <br />Enforcement Update for Placement of Signs <br />Tina Allard, City Clerk <br />Reviewed by <br />Cal Portner, City Administrator <br />Action Requested <br />None unless otherwise directed by Council. <br />Background /Discussion <br />At the May 5, 2014, meeting of the City Council, Council asked staff to report back at a later date on the <br />educational and enforcement efforts underway pertaining to the city's sign ordinance. Since then, <br />Council and staff have received only a handful of inquiries and formal complaints regarding the <br />enforcement of signage in the public right -of -way (ROW). There have also been a few letters from <br />readers printed in the local paper. <br />Educational programs, outreach, and enforcement <br />Over the past year, staff has embarked on an aggressive educational campaign to help inform residents <br />and businesses as to the proper locations for sign placement. This collaborative effort included articles in <br />the city newsletter, the Elk River Current, updates on the city website, a TV /YouTube informational video, <br />and a printed brochure available at City Hall. The city code enforcement officer has proactively educated <br />residents hosting garage sales as he comes across them in the course of following up on other citizen <br />concerns. Staff has also enforced the ordinance and, as is past practice, stored illegally placed signs at the <br />Maintenance Facility where residents /businesses can claim them at a later date. <br />The enforcement of the city sign ordinance (� 30 -859) is mostly complaint- driven. When a complaint is <br />received, that specific area is checked for compliance and any illegally placed signs are removed. The time <br />spent on sign enforcement is mixed in along with other resident - driven nuisance complaints. <br />Options <br />At the June 3, 2013, meeting of the Elk River City Council, staff presented Council with three options to <br />consider pertaining to the existing city ordinance. A copy of the staff report is attached hereto. At that <br />time, it was the consensus of the Council to leave the existing ordinance in place but to conduct <br />additional education outreach as previously outlined. <br />Staff is seeking direction from Council on any desired changes or updates to the city's sign ordinance. <br />Financial Impact <br />To date, staff has invested over 45 hours in developing educational and outreach material. <br />P0WIAI1 0 <br />Template Updated 4/14 IN"Af UR <br />