Council discusses clearer political‑signage rules; attorney warns of First Amendment pitfalls

Planning staff told the council that the land development code already contains temporary‑signage rules (size, spacing, visibility triangle) and offered to add a clear political‑signage subsection and a one‑page guidance sheet for candidates. Council members said the proliferation of campaign signage in rights of way has been excessive and asked staff to draft clarifying language and an enforcement approach.

The city attorney cautioned against drafting a rule that treats political signs differently from other temporary signs because that could raise First Amendment concerns. "If you don't do that, you're going to have everyone coming before you deciding whether or not they can put their signing up," the attorney said, and added, "we do run into a potential political speech issue under the 1st Amendment." Staff said they will draft a one‑page summary for candidates and return with code amendment language for council review.