After gaining recommendation, updates to sign code head to Council

The Whitefish Planning Board last month recommended approval for changes to the city’s signage ordinances, which affect the criteria by which sign regulations can be made.

City Planning Director Dave Taylor presented the changes to the planning board during the May meeting.

“We’ve done our best to manipulate text in order to make them not based on content,” Taylor said. “Some of them are based on the site that they’re on, some have been consolidated into different types of signs.”

Cities around the nation have been updating their sign ordinances since a 2015 Supreme Court case clarified when cities can impose content-based restrictions on signage, according to Taylor. Changes to Whitefish’s code are mostly concerned with signs found under the “exempt” category, which doesn’t require a sign permit. In these cases, city planning staff is clarifying sizing and duration by location, whether the sign is commercial or non-commercial, and other criteria.

Temporary signs with no set duration limit are also seeing a reduction of size in residential areas.

During the meeting, board member Rebecca Norton asked if changes could be made for signs displayed along the Whitefish River.

Norton said she’s been noticing signs on the riverfront when walking along the river.

“The river has always been this beautiful recreation part, and it’s really peaceful. And all of a sudden you’re seeing someone advertising their business and it’s just like, ‘Are we going there?” So I think we should talk about it as a community,” she said.

City Councilor Richard Hildner backed that idea, wondering if size and area regulations could be made specific to riverfront areas.

However, Taylor said rivers are treated like other roadways, and the conversation isn’t relevant to the content-based changes.

“Technically the river is the same as a highway, under state law it’s a navigable water way. It’s not any different from a street, technically,” Taylor said. “It’s an interesting discussion point, but it might be outside the scope of these changes.”

The board thanked Taylor and City Attorney Angela Jacobs for their careful revision of the ordinance.

Norton said the signage rules are part of what makes Whitefish a good-looking town.

“I do think our sign ordinance is really what makes Whitefish really visually wonderful to move through compared to a lot of other cities,” she said.

Hildner said he was impressed with Jacobs and Taylor for keeping the changes precise.

“I want to applaud you, both of you, for doing a good job of cleanup without a substantial change in the sign ordinance, because I think that’s the last thing we want to do, is open up that can of spoiled tuna,” he said.

The changes are set to go before City Council during its June 18 meeting.