Those in noncompliance would be issued citations

BY KEVIN BONESKE

REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER

Rhinelander’s Planning Commission agreed Tuesday to support a change in the city code as it relates to removing signs and advertising devices determined to no longer serve the purposes for which they were intended, or are not maintained, have been abandoned or are unsafe.

In the event a sign would not be removed or repaired by the owner within 10 days when ordered to do so by the building inspector, the city code currently calls for the building inspector to have the sign removed with the cost of removal recovered from the owner, whose property would have a lien on it for failing to pay the removal cost.

City building inspector/fire chief Terry Williams said he met with city attorney Carrie Miljevich to change the language in the city code so that violators would instead be issued citations.

“Essentially what it is rather than us removing the sign, and potential liability with electrical (connections) and trying to recover the expenses – I don’t have a budget for that – it would save us a lot of time, and it would be easier for us to just issue citations,” Williams said.

In instances of lit signs, Williams said access to the inside of buildings could be necessary to turn the power off to remove those signs.

The change in the city code, which would call for the building inspector issue a citation instead of removing the sign or advertising device, is being forwarded to the full City Council for consideration at its July 10 meeting.