Following weeks of discussion, Eatontown Borough Council members are expected to consider an ordinance for introduction at their next meeting that would regulate sign usage by local businesses and residents.
“The council has discussed establishing a $100 fee per event, plus a $25 per person/ per event fee related to human signs,” Borough Attorney Andrew Bayer said in a statement Oct. 1.
“There are a number of competing issues here,” Bayer told council members when the issue was first brought up in July. “There are concerns about safety, concerns about the unsightliness of the signs, but you also want to continue to encourage businesses to do well here, so all that has to be kept in mind, and you have to try to balance it.”
In his statement, Bayer also said council members would consider a way to regulate use of signs that are eight feet or larger.
“Council [has also] discussed establishing a $100 fee for signs in excess of eight feet and for billboards as set forth in Section 89-104 of the Borough Code,” he said.
Councilwoman Janice Kroposky said the issue, first brought to her attention at a Pride in Eatontown committee meeting, is a problem for a number of reasons.
“I drove around, and the signs and the amount of them are becoming an increasing issue for the borough,” she said.
“Not only do they [businesses] have people holding the signs, but they also mount thousands of lawn signs,” she said. “They can cause a huge driving distraction, and I’m not sure anyone heading for a tourist destination who sees someone holding a sign about a liquidation sale will turn off the road and spend $5,000 on furniture.”
Councilman Anthony Talerico Jr. agreed with Kroposky, stating at a recent meeting that having the type and number of signs detracts from the aesthetics of the borough.
“Personally, I don’t think it’s appealing to drive through Eatontown and to see all these signs,” he said. “Driving along you don’t see these signs in other areas … and I do agree that there has to be alternative forms of advertising.”
In July, when Kroposky had asked Bayer if there was anything that could be done to either have the signs banned altogether or to possibly strengthen regulations, he cautioned council the changes could take some time to effect.
“It’s actually kind of tricky because there are constitutional issues involved in regulating signs,” he said, noting that signs don’t just come from businesses, but from individuals expressing a religious belief or a political view.
Borough Administrator George Jackson said while many businesses follow rules and obtain correct permits needed for the signs, some try to get around it.
“My belief is that with a person who is a moving target with a sign over their body, it is hard to take any action against it,” he said. “That is why they put them on human beings and have them keep moving.” Mayor Dennis Connelly said enforcing current policies has become an issue due to the time the signs are put up and taken down.
“Between the lawn signs and the human signs, it seems to have been getting worse and is definitely being further and further abused in our town,” he said.
“You’ll see them go out on Friday afternoon and be picked up on Sunday … and it is when the zoning office or code enforcement won’t be around.
“It’s one thing about trying to advertise your business, it’s another to just litter the streets with signs … but it’s a bit too much and I do agree that something needs to be done.”