Council to consider banning portable signs

By Tamara Pilon

BELLEVILLE – Complaints from the citizens have Belleville city council announcing they are going to vote about off property portable advertisement signs on Monday.

The city has received many complaints from citizens about the number of signs popping up, Ted Marecak, the Chief Building Official. He was asked to prepare a report about the possible ban on off-property portable signs.

The city also had a reason for this vote, Marecak said.

“The signage was developed to provide temporary or short-term advertising for various businesses, persons or individuals and to get temporary messages out there,” he said, “A lot of these signs in the community have become permeant advertising fixtures which were not the intent of that type of signage.”

All portable signs will be on the businesses own property, said Marecak. Usually, businesses need a monthly permit that costs $15.50 a month.

With Belleville’s municipal elections less than a month away, Marecak said the ban may not be put up to vote until the new council is elected.

“My guess is it’s going to be up to the new council and there will probably not be a decision on this until December or early in the new year,” he said.

If council votes “yes” to banning the signs, it will be the first time since 2006 that the by-law will be upgraded. A survey was done by the city and found Cobourg, Quinte West, Napanee and Kingston have already banned portable signs.