Tamara Davis urges smaller limits, clearer definitions in Millville digital-sign proposal

Tamara Davis, a Millville resident, told the city commission she reviewed the proposed first-reading amendment to the sign ordinance and urged changes to prevent unintended conversions of large signs into digital displays. "The sign area shall be no larger than 50 square feet... That's big," Davis said, noting the draft's 50-square-foot display allowance would be larger than typical allowances for churches, hospitals and apartment complexes.

Davis urged the commission to reduce the maximum display area (she suggested lowering it to about 35 square feet), and she warned that the ordinance's current language could allow nonconforming, long-standing signs to be converted to digital message boards if the code does not explicitly limit conversions. "If it's preexisting nonconforming and it then had a 75-square-foot sign...the assumption could be, I could take that sign and make it digital," she said, urging clearer limits.

Davis also flagged a potential confusion between "changeable copy" (manual or mechanical message changes, like gas-price signs) and "digital" signage, and recommended the ordinance explicitly differentiate the two. She recommended adding a malfunction rule so a digital display defaults to blank if it glitched, calling it a common municipal safeguard.

Mayor Dixon and other commissioners acknowledged the comments and asked Davis to submit her suggested edits by email so staff, the planner and the planning attorney could incorporate them into a clarified draft. "Please put it into an email this weekend," Mayor Dixon said. Commissioner Osgood thanked Davis, calling her remarks helpful in revealing complexities in the current draft.

What happens next: Davis said she would email a summary of her comments; the commission and planning staff will review the draft over the coming days ahead of further consideration at the next meeting and by the planning board as needed.