Cape council may rescind sign rules

Cape Girardeau City Council likely will rescind most of the restrictions on garage sale and real-estate signs imposed just last April.

Council members delayed voting on the amendments to the city sign ordinance until the next meeting in two weeks, but if approved they would allow unlimited numbers of garage sale signs as long as they are put up less than one full day before the sale and taken down the day of the sale. The signs must be on private property with owner's permission and must display the address and date of the sale. The ordinance would also remove any size limit on the signs.

For real estate signs, the amendments would allow unlimited numbers, remove size restrictions and allow the signs to stay up for a maximum of 30 days. Unlimited directional signs also would be allowed as long as they are on private property with owner's permission.

City staff provided the council with four options on garage sale signs and three on real estate signs. Council discussed the options for approximately 40 minutes."So basically we're rescinding everything that we've done," said Mayor Jay Knudtson. "OK, maybe 90 percent of what we've done." Time limits were the only original restrictions not axed.

Knudtson said his top priority remains keeping all signs out of city right of ways.

Voting on the amendments was delayed to allow city attorney Eric Cunningham to construct an ordinance which fits the council's wishes on the sign issue.

The council also voted to follow the recommendations of its Open Burning Task Force voting to implement changes to the city's burning ordinance. The task force was convened in March and has met five times to evaluate burning regulations.

The biggest change will regulate burning of bio-debris within city limits by establishing "no burn days" when conditions make fire and smoke unsafe.

Several conditions could contribute to fire chief Rick Ennis or a designee declaring such a day. These are atmospheric conditions that prevent smoke from rising freely, excessively dry conditions, sustained winds greater than 15 mph or frequent wind gusts greater than 25 mph.

Ennis said he is still waiting for information from a local meteorologist to predict how common these days will be, but said, "There will be considerably more days when burning is allowed," than not.

In a move meant to satisfy those concerned with burning rights, the task force increased the legal burning time by two hours daily. Burning will be permitted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This move was important to Jane O'Connell, a task force member who initially felt threatened that her right to burn would be eliminated.

"I probably have 50 trees on my property, and they create a lot debris," said O'Connell, who lives on Cape Rock Drive. "I enjoy maintaining my own property. If you take away the rights of citizens to burn leaves and yard waste they're going to be calling the city every day to clear it away."

O'Connell said she collected a petition of 400 signatures of people who were concerned about restrictions on burning rights. "I could have just as easily gotten 4,000," she said.

Ennis said a total ban was never an option. "We had a cross section of people on the task force with various opinions," he said. "There's probably not any one person who is 100 percent satisfied with the changes, but everybody can live with the ordinance."

Ennis said he hopes to institute a hotline system where citizens could call in to find out if a "no burn day," had been declared. He also hopes to use TV, radio and newspaper announcements.If approved during second and third readings, the ordinance would go into effect Sept. 15.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245