What's wrong with this sign?

City: Recall petitioners violate sign code

By Evan Jensen

The Estacada News, Jul 23, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (4 Reader comments)

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Eagle Creek resident Ralph Hatley stays up at night hoping to catch the person stealing the yellow and black school board recall signs he’s posted on his property. Hatley spent an estimated $600 on the signs to support the chief petitioners seeking the recall and believes his signs are being stolen by recall opponents and unfairly targeted by the City of Estacada.

Some of the signs have been removed by city staff, but that’s because recall supporters have posted some of their signs in locations that violate the city’s sign code.

“We’ve removed some the signs that have been placed in the public right of way,” City Manager Randy Ealy said. “We’ve stored the signs at our public works building and asked Ralph to come pick them up and respect our sign code.”

One group of signs removed by city staff was posted along Highway 224 across from Subway. Hatley said he gained permission from the property owner to post the signs, but at that location the property extends to the public right of way, violating the sign code, Ealy said.

According to the City Code, the city may remove a sign that violates any of the regulations identified in Chapter 16 of the code regarding signs. In some cases, the city may provide a 24-hour notice to the owner to remove the sign, but the code also provides the city with the right to immediately remove a sign that violates the rules.

Applying the standard for political signs outlined in the code, the city’s code enforcement officer removed the school board recall signs that were previously placed in the downtown area. A few school board recall signs are still posted along Eagle Creek Highway, but the yellow and black signs have all but disappeared in the city of Estacada. Hatley said other signs he gained permission to post at the Eagle Creek Golf Course have also been removed.

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