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HomeMy WebLinkAbout26-Community Development ORIGINAL CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION From: Valerie C. Ross, Interim Director Subject: An Ordinance Repealing Section 8.15.130 and Adopting a New Chapter 16.18 of the Dept: Community Development San Bernardino Municipal Code Regarding Unauthorized Signs on Public Property. Date: September 8, 2010 MCC Date: October 4, 2010 Synopsis of Previous Council Action: 05-18-2009 Mayor and Common Council adopted an unauthorized sign removal permit fee through the Master Fee Resolution (Reso. No. 2009-122). Recommended Motion: That said Ordinance be laid over for final adoption. 11/AZI/* Valerie C. Ross Contact Person: Valerie C. Ross Phone: 3329 Supporting data attached: Staff Report Ward(s): Citywide FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: N/A Source: Acct.Description: Finance: Council Notes: y/,57�UC /�//e"(-c) 4777>/�r Agenda Item No. 2(0 I0'-U`4'2°) CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION STAFF REPORT Subject: An Ordinance Repealing Section 8.15.130 and Adopting a New Chapter 16.18 of the San Bernardino Municipal Code Regarding Unauthorized Signs on Public Property. Background: Section 8.15.130 of the San Bernardino Municipal Code is entitled Posting Notices Prohibited, and states that it is unlawful to post any kind of notice or sign on public property, including utility poles. The difficulty with enforcement is that the signs and notices are then posted without being observed by any City workers and the company that produced or posted the signs cannot be identified. For example, on August 26, 2010, Code Enforcement spent four hours removing approximately 1,600 illegally placed signs in the public right-of-way along the most frequently traveled primary and secondary arterials. The proposed Chapter 16.18 of the Municipal Code will be entitled, Unauthorized Signs on Public Property. It includes definitions and expands upon the prohibition about placing notices on public property. In particular, it defines a"responsible party" as the owner or lessee of property that is being used for the event or activity as advertised on the sign or notice. In addition, it allows Code Enforcement to recover the costs of unauthorized sign removal from the "responsible party." Based on discussions with staff in other jurisdictions with similar ordinances,the ability to charge removal costs is a huge deterrent to prevent repeat occurrences. On May 18, 2009, the Mayor and Common Council adopted an unauthorized sign removal permit fee through the Master Fee Resolution. However, the fee was not effective until the effective date of adoption of this ordinance. Financial Impact: The fee of$100 per sign has been previously established, and the 2010-11 budget assumes revenues of$100,000 from the permits. Recommended Motion: That said Ordinance be laid over for final adoption. Exhibits: Ordinance 2 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA REPEALING SECTION 8.15.130 AND ADDING CHAPTER 16.18 OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING UNAUTHORIZED SIGNS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY. 1 WHEREAS, the City of San Bernardino has an ongoing and serious problem of businesses posting signs on public property creating a public nuisance and blight 2 throughout the City; and 3 WHEREAS, the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San Bernardino find that it 4 is necessary to hold owners and/or businesses that profit from these unauthorized signs responsible for the cost of removal of these unauthorized signs. 5 6 NOW THERFORE, THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: 7 Section 1. Chapter 16.18 of Title 16 is hereby added to read as follows: 8 9 Chapter 16.18 UNAUTHORIZED SIGNS 10 16.18.010 Definitions. 11 16.18.020 Prohibitions. 12 16.18.030 Cost of Removal. 16.18.040 Collection of costs. 13 16.18.050 Violation — Penalty. 14 16.18.010 Definitions. 15 For the purpose of this chapter only, unless otherwise apparent from context, words 16 and phrases used in this chapter shall have the meanings hereinafter designated. The definitions in this chapter are included for reference purposes only and are not 17 intended to narrow the scope of definitions set forth in federal, state or other 18 applicable laws or regulations. Words used in this chapter in the singular may include the plural and the plural may include the singular. Use of the masculine shall also 19 mean feminine and neuter. 20 21 A. "Code" means the San Bernardino Municipal Code. 22 B. "Development Code" means Title 19 of the San Bernardino Municipal Code. 23 C. "Director" means the Director of Community Development or his/her designee. 24 D. "Responsible party" means the owner or lessee of property used for a 25 commercial activity or event; or the sponsor or promoter of a sporting event, concert, theatrical performance, or similar activity or event. Any information 26 27 1 Revised 7-10 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA REPEALING SECTION 8.15.130 AND ADDING CHAPTER 16.18 OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING UNAUTHORIZED SIGNS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY. 1 that appears on a sign that is removed may be used to establish that the person or venue listed on the sign is the actual responsible party including, but 2 not limited to, information identifying a person or corporate identity. 3 E. "Unauthorized sign" means any notice, writing of letters, words or numerals, 4 pictorial presentation, illustrations or decorations, emblems or devices, symbols or trademarks, flags, banners or pennants, graphic announcement, posters, 5 pictures or any item used to advertise in any manner businesses, services or events at some location other than that upon which the sign is located. 6 7 16.18.020 Prohibitions. 8 No person shall place, affix, erect, extend, project over, suspend or maintain or cause 9 to be placed, affixed, erected, extended, suspended or maintained any unauthorized 10 sign in, over or on public property, public utility poles, light poles, public rights-of-ways, trees in the public right-of-way, or on publicly owned or maintained land or property 11 adjacent to the public right-of-way unless otherwise permitted by the Development Code or other applicable laws. Such activity shall constitute a nuisance and the 12 Director may proceed in a summary manner to abate such nuisance by causing the 13 unauthorized sign to be removed immediately. 14 16.18.030 Cost of Removal. 15 The cost of the removal of any sign by City employees and/or City contractors 16 pursuant to this chapter shall be borne by the responsible party. The cost of removal shall be established by separate resolution of the Mayor and Common Council. 17 16.18.040 Collection of costs. 18 19 Unpaid costs of removal shall be a debt to the City and subject to all remedies for debt collection as allowed by law. 20 16.18.050 Violation — Penalty. 21 22 A violation of this chapter may be enforced or punished in any manner prescribed by law, including but not limited to issuance of administrative citations pursuant to 23 Chapter 9.92, through issuance of administrative civil penalties pursuant to Chapter 9.93, or through any other process or procedure established or allowed by this code or 24 applicable law. 25 26 27 2 Revised 7-10 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA REPEALING SECTION 8.15.130 AND ADDING CHAPTER 16.18 OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING UNAUTHORIZED SIGNS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY. 1 Section 2. In the event that any provision of this Ordinance, or any part thereof, or any application thereof to any person or circumstance, is for any reason held to be 2 unconstitutional or otherwise invalid or ineffective by any court of competent 3 jurisdiction on its face or as applied, such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Ordinance, or any part thereof, or any application thereof 4 to any person or circumstance or of said provision as applied to any other person or circumstance. It is hereby declared to be the legislative intent of the City that this 5 Ordinance would have been adopted had such unconstitutional, invalid, or ineffective 6 provision not been included herein. 7 /// /// 8 [Signature page follows] 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 3 Revised 7-10 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA REPEALING SECTION 8.15.130 AND ADDING CHAPTER 16.18 OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING UNAUTHORIZED SIGNS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY. 1 I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Ordinance was duly adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San Bernardino at a regular meeting thereof, held on 2 the day of , 2010, by the following vote, to wit: 3 COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYES NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT 4 MARQUEZ 5 6 DESJARDINS 7 BRINKER 8 SHORET 9 KELLEY 10 JOHNSON 11 12 MC CAMMACK 13 14 Rachel Clark, City Clerk 15 16 The foregoing Ordinance is hereby approved this day of , 2009. 17 18 PATRICK J. MORRIS, Mayor 19 City of San Bernardino Approved as to form: 20 JAMES F. PENMAN 21 City Attorney 22 23 By: 24 25 26 27 4 Revised 7-10