Town attorney proposes limited sign-code changes to allow inflatable and portable flag signs; council flags enforcement and duration questions

Town attorney Jessica Nixon presented proposed amendments to the sign ordinance to allow business-promotional inflatable signs and portable flag signs outside the historic overlay/plaza, limit their display to three days within a seven-day period and require permitting similar to existing temporary-sign processes. The draft would restrict each business to a single such sign during permitted days and update enforcement language to avoid immediate closure absent a health, safety or welfare concern.

Council members and staff raised implementation questions: typographical inconsistencies in the draft, how height limits apply, exact permit duration and renewal mechanics, and whether the temporary-permit framework (for example, allowing 60 days with a 30‑day break) might be a better enforcement fit. The town’s code-enforcement representatives recommended placing these sign types under existing temporary permits rather than a 3-of-7-day rule to reduce enforcement complexity and administrative workload. "We would suggest that these signs fall under that temporary category," a department representative said, adding that a 60-day permit with re-application rules would be straightforward to manage.

Council discussed exemptions for school-promotional signage and whether political signs (current 6-square-foot limit) merit review as part of the code update. Attorney Nixon noted noncommercial and school signs are plausibly exempt under existing sections but said she would coordinate drafting clarifications and incorporate council direction on permit timing and expedited review for sales-related signs.

Direction to staff: incorporate council edits (typos, height and permit-duration clarifications), consult planning and code‑enforcement about an expedited process for sales, and return with a revised draft for a workshop at the end of October.