Last year, Albany’s then-new planning director put together a group of government officials and community members, called it a task force, and – using the services of a high-priced consultant – put together a new sign code.

The new code, declared Planning and Development Services Director Howard Brown, was essentially the old code written to Constitutional standards. But this one – unlike the old one – was going to be vigorously enforced, said Brown and his boss, City Manager Alfred Lott.

But when the city began to enforce the law, its flaws surfaced quickly, and Lott directed his troops to selectively enforce the law.

Just like the old days.

Now, according to some sign task force members, Brown is up to his old tricks again. A new task force has been formed. But some of its members aren’t being allowed to vote.

“He’s not listening. He’s even saying in some cases that the only option available is the staff’s recommendation,” said restaurateur Bo Henry. “I’ve got a serious problem with that.”

Henry’s outcry earlier this year about some provisions in the new code helped convince some city commissioners to convince Lott to call off enforcement of some provisions of the new law. Now Henry has been denied a vote by Brown on the task force; Brown claims the businessman is an “alternate” on the task force and not a voting member.

Meanwhile, Tom Knighton said he volunteered to serve, but his offer wasn’t accepted.

“I was willing to put aside my personal biases for the betterment of the community,” Knighton said.

Nancy Brooks, who represents car dealers on the task force, said Brown not only is refusing to allow Henry and others to vote, Brown also has refused to allow the task force to decide whether streamers, pennants and balloons should be allowed at car lots. Currently, the city allows some car lot operators – but not others – to have the attention-grabbing displays,

“He says his data shows that streamers are a safety issue. He supposedly has evidence, but he hasn’t shown it to us,” said Brooks, who is collecting signatures of car dealers on a petition opposing Brown’s efforts to have the City Commission to prohibit the advertising devices. “That was the final issue for us. Every person in the car business is extremely concerned about this. They feel strongly that it will adversely affect their business.

“Streamers have been a staple in the car business for almost 100 years, and now (Brown) is saying that if you allow car dealers to do it, others will do it. No one other than car dealers have had streamers for 100 years. I doubt they are going to start now.”

Brooks said that Brown is “ram-rodding” restrictive sign code regulations past the task force when businesses’ concerns should be a top priority.

“I feel like in this economic time the city should be making it more friendly to survive, not make it more difficult,” she said. “They need to worry more about abandoned and dilapidated buildings and pure ugliness rather than forcing businesses to defend themselves when they are trying to survive.”

In an e-mail, Brown said Tuesday the sign ordinance task force is working productively. But Brown did not respond to questions about – among other things — how the task force was formed, why some task force members aren’t allowed to vote, and why his recommendations are the only options being considered in many instances.

The task force has met twice. It meets again at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Albany-Dougherty Government Center.

Written by Kevin Hogencamp.

By Kevin Hogencamp

Loud and clear, Albany commissioners are getting the message from business operators about the city’s new sign ordnance: It’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Indeed, on Tuesday, the commission will consider setting a moratorium on sign code enforcement until after the 2009 election. Meanwhile, Commissioner Morris Gurr, Assistant City Manager James Taylor and other city staffers will meet with business operators at 3 p.m. today (Wednesday, July 1) in room 120 of the Government Center to hear their concerns about the city’s sign regulations.

During a six-month enforcement hiatus, commissioners may “tweak” the ordinance, said Gurr, whose first four-year term representing Ward 3 expires at the end of the year.

“After I had several businesses — used car dealerships, drive-thru restaurant, a mattress store, and other types — voice concerns about the enforcement of the sign ordinance, I took the initiative to ask them if they would agree to participate in a forum with city staff to voice their concerns,” Gurr said. “My main purpose in this is that each one I talked to had a little bit different angle on how the sign ordinance was affecting them.

“So, rather than deal with these concerns one at a time I thought it prudent to bring them to the table all at once for staff to hear and then to make possible recommendations on changes to the sign ordinance. I told every business I talked to that I was just one vote but that I believed they deserved a voice to validate their concerns. It would be up to the entire commission to ‘tweak’ the ordinance and make any changes it may deem necessary. My role at the Wednesday meeting is to only give a short welcome and introduction.”

Murr said he will mull whether to support a sign code moratorium after Wednesday’s meeting.

The sign ordinance also is now on the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s radar. Katherine Glover, the chamber’s president, said that two weeks ago, “we picked up a copy of the sign ordinance, and our advocacy team has reviewed all 18 pages.”

“As an organization, we’re in a position now that we’ve not been in prior to 2009, as we now have a registered lobbyist on staff that works not only on the State level, but also on the local level,” Glover said in an e-mail to a chamber member. “We’re therefore now able to better address the advocacy needs of the regional business community.

“Our next step will be to send an electronic communication out to our membership early next week, through our weekly e-newsletter to ascertain which local issues directly impact their business. We’ll then act accordingly once we receive input from the close to 1,200 businesses that we serve in this region.”

After City Manager Alfred Lott refused to enforce the city’s sign ordinance for several years, the sign code was refined last year without an effort to involve businesses affected by changes. Indeed, in reviewing the sign ordinance, city officials set their sights largely son electronic billboards that had illegally sprung up over the last four years while city commissioners and staff looked the other way, saying that its law was unconstitutional. But the billboard industry successfully lobbied commissioners – and the electronic message boards were legalized.