The Town Council voted 5-2 during a special meeting on Thursday, Feb. 9, to reinstate the sign regulations in the Town Zoning Ordinance that had been repealed on a 4-3 vote in January.

Town Attorney Aaron Arson said that following a closed executive session held on Tuesday, Feb. 7, there was a consensus of the council to bring the reinstatement up for a vote in an open session.

Arnson said he had provided the council with a legal opinion during the executive session but did not comment further on the legal perspective during the open meeting.

Councilwoman Brenda Kalivianakis said the problem she had with the sign regulations from the beginning is that they were too restrictive on businesses and real estate open houses. She had requested previously that a discussion related to specific amendments be taken up at the council retreat scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 28.

With proposed amendments the rules can be brought back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing and recommendation before coming back to the council for adoption.

As a provision of the reinstatement the council asked staff to suspend enforcement of temporary sign regulations until the new version is adopted.

Paul Hickman, vice president of real estate and public affairs in Phoenix for Clear Channel Outdoor, spoke to the council and urged it to reinstate the rules. He asked whether any applications for new signs had been brought to the Town since the original repeal of the ordinance. Development Services Director John Wesley said that to his knowledge there have been no new applications. Hickman is associated with outdoor advertising or billboards.

The action by the council reinstates sections 6.07 and 6.08 of the Zoning Ordinance along with the resolution establishing a sign-free zone.

The discussion during the council retreat will not be subject to public input, although the public is invited to that session. A public hearing will follow before the P&Z Commission and council.

The reinstatement was supported by Mayor Ginny Dickey, Vice Mayor Peggy McMahon and Council members Sharron Grzybowski, Kalivianakis and Allen Skillicorn. Council members Gerry Friedel and Hannah Toth opposed the measure.