By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com
Current Cleburne city rules allow LED signs for businesses on state highways such as Henderson and Main streets. The ordinance prohibits LED signs for businesses on other streets such as North Nolan River Road. Businesses off state highways wishing to install LED signage must first receive a variance from the city council on a case-by-case basis.
Recent requests, all of which gained council approval, prompted council members to consider revising the ordinance.
“If you have two businesses and one’s allowed to have a sign and the other is not because of the ordinance, that’s pretty hard to justify,” Councilman Sonny Russell said. “Just because one’s on a highway and the other isn’t.”
The council should either do away with the off-highway restriction or change the ordinance so that every variance would not have to come up for council action, Mayor Ted Reynolds said.
“Anything where we don’t have to intrude into business is what I’m looking for,” Reynolds said. “I mean if it’s a case of a business sign flashing all night outside someone’s bedroom window, but other than that.”
Councilman Bob Force expressed his dislike of the signs.
“It’s a bias on my part, but I find them distracting and think they could pose a safety problem,” Force said. “I know they have a place but once we get a bunch of them it’s just going to be a bunch of flashing lights. I don’t see it as something that’s going to make our city look any better.”
Force said that although he’d rather not have LED signs in Cleburne, he understands they’re necessary on highways to help businesses compete. The number of businesses on secondary streets is too small to warrant changing the ordinance, Force said, adding he does not see how LED signs would help such areas develop.
The council agreed to discuss the matter further during a future workshop session.
Also during Tuesday’s council workshop:
zx City Manager Chester Nolen said Johnson County ranks highest in the Barnett Shale area with more than 70 active gas rigs. The next closest is Tarrant County, which has about 40 active rigs, Nolen said.
zx Sales tax revenues are about 26 percent larger than this time last year, said Jerry Cash, Cleburne economic development manager.
zx The latest Cleburne unemployment numbers are 3.7 percent while county numbers are 3.9 percent, Cash said. They represent a slight increase from 3.5 for Cleburne and 3.7 for Johnson County last month, he said.
