Please call and email your council member ASAP to voice your opposition to the new ordinance which will repeal the current provision for temporary directional signage. You may use a talking point below in your email.
You can find your district by searching here: https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/VoterVi…/RegistrantSearch.do.
Once you’ve determined your district, look below for your council member’s name and email address:
District 1 – Maura Wroblewski -maura.wroblewski@madisonal.gov
District 2 – Steve Smith – steve.smith@madisonal.gov
District 3 – Teddy Powell – teddy.powell@madisonal.gov
District 4 – Greg Shaw – greg.shaw@madisonal.gov
District 5 – Tommy Overcash – tommy.overcash@madisonal.gov
District 6 – Gerald Clark – gerald.clark@madisonal.gov
District 7 – John Seifert – john.seifert@madisonal.gov
TALKING POINTS:
I represent REALTORs who work in the Madison market. We are here today in support of new sign regulations for the city of Madison, but in opposition to the restrictions placed on temporary signage. On page 1 of the draft regulations, the purposes of regulating signage are presented. From enhancing the Madison economy to providing easy guidance for citizens and potential citizens, excellent signage standards are vital to a growing city. We agree. However, the current temporary signage situation in Madison is like the wild west. The REALTOR community is ready to come alongside city government to self-police, but there must be teeth to any new regulation in order to accomplish this. Please consider delaying your vote and continuing the conversation. Thank you.
I am a REALTOR who works in the Madison market. I agree that the sign regulations needed an update, particularly with regards to permanent signage required for a business. But my business doesn’t rely on permanent signage; it relies on TEMPORARY signage to direct people to properties REALTORs have on the market. Please consider delaying this vote until you add a provision for temporary signage. Thank you.
I am a REALTOR who works in the Madison market. As it stands, temporary signage is an eyesore and a danger to Madison drivers because the city does not enforce its own code. Why not ALLOW temporary signage with strict guidelines restricting the quantity allowable in an area? Why not ALLOW temporary signage but restrict the size in order to give drivers better sight lines at intersections? Why not think through solutions that will work to protect both the city and REALTORs, who are local, small business owners that live, work and play in Madison? Please consider delaying your vote and going back to the drawing board on these regulations. Thank you.
I am a REALTOR who works in the Madison market. Have each of you met with the consultant who wrote this new sign code? Our leadership participated in two meetings with the representative of Compass Point, the firm the city hired to do this rewrite. We believe – and I’m sure you agree – that Madison is a special, unique community. So why is the council and city staff so quick to accept a template rewrite that this group has most likely used in other municipalities across the nation? Don’t we deserve to be thought of as an individual community with our own identity, challenges, and opportunities? The REALTOR community is discouraged by the use of these blanket regulations with little to no regard to the uniqueness of our community, in particular the strength of our housing market. Temporary signage is vital for the continued growth of our city; please delay your vote on these blanket regulations and consider adding language that reflects the unique perspective of our flourishing city. Thank you.
I am a REALTOR who works in the Madison market. By prohibiting temporary signage on the weekends, you are impacting my bottom line. While it may seem antiquated to you, temporary directional signage is still a source of business for me and other REALTORS in Madison. Potential home buyers still follow signage to open houses, use signage to find information about listing REALTORS. But you’re not only impacting MY business; you’re impacting VOTERS and their ability to sell their home or property.Please, delay your vote until you find a way to allow temporary signage. Thank you.
I am a REALTOR who works in the Madison market. The new regulations expressly forbid signs in the public right of way. Who will enforce this? Have Madison police been directed to pull up offending signs? Has the city found a way to fund enforcement? Will this ordinance go into effect immediately? What happens to signs after they’re pulled? Does the offender have the opportunity to pick up those signs? Who will contact those offenders? Are REALTORs with current sign permits now unable to place signs if this passes tonight? Do these new regulations go into immediate effect, or will the community be warned it’s coming? Has the new sign application been approved by council? If I call my councilperson, will they be able to direct me in the new process? This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to questions we have about these new regulations. Can all of you, as our elected representatives, answer these questions? If not, I strongly recommend a delay on this vote. Thank you.