Zoning Committee Looks At Regulating Electronic Signs in Missoula

By Travis Koch, 7-30-09

Missoula might be less dynamic in the future.

The Plat, Amendments and Zoning (PAZ) committee considered yesterday whether to allow “dynamic displays”—electronic signs with animation or scrolling messages—within city limits.

The deliberation was part of the process that will likely result in a new zoning ordinance for Missoula. The existing zoning law does not regulate electronic signs.

Representatives of local businesses that use electronic signs addressed the council members, arguing that the signs pose no safety hazards, are not visually annoying and would be self-regulated by business owners whose livelihoods depend on displaying messages that are readable and attractive.

Opposition to dynamic displays came from the group Save America’s Visual Environment (SAVE). Lane Coddington of SAVE said that dynamic displays were originally designed to make it easier to change messages, not to display distracting animation. “Personally, I hate these things,” said Coddington.

Several of the council members expressed their personal dislike of the flashy signs, but Councilman Dick Haines issued a stern warning about trying to legislate subjective opinion. “We’re jumping up and down on thin ice here,” Haines said.

If council members decide to allow dynamic displays, they must then consider questions about the size, location, brightness, duration of messages and allowable hours of operation for dynamic displays.

In an entertaining side show, momentary sparks flew during the meeting when Haines challenged chairman Bob Jaffe’s conduct as chairman. Haines accused Jaffe of being “a gorilla in the room” and said that Jaffe had been flouting the rules that govern a chairperson’s participation in committee debates.

Jaffe, of course, disagreed. Haines made a motion to adjourn the meeting and take up the question of Jaffe’s performance. The motion was defeated 6-5.

The PAZ committee will continue to discuss the new zoning ordinance, despite the pending legal challenge to the zoning re-write process that was filed against the city by three council members two weeks ago. Hertha Lund of Wittich Law Firm in Bozeman, the attorney representing the petitioners, said she expects the court to set a hearing for the case by early August.