Why NC Cities are Fighting New Billboard Measures

RALEIGH, NC – As part of Charlotte’s Independence Boulevard project, North Carolina’s transportation department took down a billboard at the corner of Independence and Sharon Amity, where more than 85,000 cars whizz by every day.

So the question now being debated by the N.C. Supreme Court – and by lawmakers at the General Assembly – is, how much is a sign worth? And how much should taxpayers pay to remove it?

Those are some of the issues at stake in a flurry of bills that could be voted on this week by the N.C. House.

PHOENIX – Arizonans won’t have to worry the state or city will demand a background check before someone can sell a refrigerator, a microwave or, possibly more to the point, a gun.

Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday signed legislation which bars all levels of government from requiring that the owner of any personal property be forced to search a federal or state database before transferring the item. The law, which takes effect later this summer, also says governments can’t require the involvement of a third party in such transfers. [Read more…]

The Philadelphia Parking Authority wants to install 45 billboards in neighborhood parking lots – but community members and activists aren’t happy with the plans.

AUBURN – Voters at the annual town meeting Tuesday night defeated a zoning amendment that would have allowed the installation of two electronic billboards near the Auburn Mall.

The only article to be defeated, Article 27 sought to amend Regional Mall Overlay District zoning bylaws in order to clear the way for the installation of two electronic billboards near the Auburn Mall.

The proposal, which would have laid the groundwork for Total Outdoor Advertising to install and operate two double-sided digital billboards overlooking the Massachusetts Turnpike, had previously received the unanimous support of the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board and the Finance Committee. But it failed to win over voters, who worried the billboards would create an eyesore, present a possible risk to drivers on the turnpike and open the door for similar billboards throughout town.

INDIANAPOLIS – Billboard regulators want more information on benefits of relocating signs and also learned how to measure light from digital billboards during their annual meeting.

Regulators convened in Indianapolis April 30-May 4 under the auspices of the National Alliance of State Highway Beautification Agencies (NAHBA).

State officials are seeking federal funds to research time and money savings from relocating billboards in lieu of condemnation.