Alex Goetting, owner of Verde Brewing Company in Camp Verde, filed a police report when he started to notice the directional signs for his business going missing.
“I’d put the signs out and they’d be gone within hours,” he said.
He later received a notice in the mail saying that he was being cited for a misdemeanor with the town.According to Camp Verde Planning and Zoning Ordinances and Subdivision Regulations, it is prohibited for signs to be placed in the public right-of-way.
It also prohibits signs that interfere or confuse traffic, as well as abandoned, dangerous or defective signs, among other things. Camp Verde Community Development Director Carmen Howard said she could not comment on Goetting’s case because it is still in litigation but to have a temporary sign, it has to be under the property owner’s permission.
According to Planning and Zoning regulations, directional signs are classified as being under permanent signage. Businesses are allowed a maximum of three signs, and the signs must be located at a highway or intersection of an access road. Signs must only have generic arrows or words giving direction. A permit is also required. Goetting’s signs list the name of his business with a green arrow pointing to the direction of the location.
He said he placed his signs along the road and on private property with permission of the property owner. He said it was only until he started complaining about the disappearance of his signs when he started getting citations.
He’s now facing charges of littering under violation of Camp Verde Town Code 9-2-3b. Goetting said he is going to continue to challenge citation because he doesn’t feel the ordinance is being equally enforced on everyone.
“We are just a business trying to sell beer,” he said. “We don’t feel like this is a good use of the town’s resources.”
Enforcement
Camp Verde Code Enforcement Officer Manny Romero said he tries to be fair while also informing the public when enforcing the town’s sign code.
“A lot of signs that are in the right-of-way are real estate signs,” he said. “I’ll make contact or pull over and remove them myself.”
Romero said the public is often appreciative once he informs them what’s allowed under the code. He said he understands that offenders are often not violating code on purpose and just need to be educated.Romero said he also will hand-deliver sign permits or will sit down with individuals and open the codebook.
He said he encourages members of the public to contact him with any questions by calling him at 554-0075 or emailing him at Manny.Romero@campverde.az.gov.
Howard said sign code is a big part of any municipal code.
“We feel our code is generous,” Howard said. “What people need to understand is that we are here to help.”
Content-Based Code
Howard said one thing community development and the town is still working on is to update the code to comply with the 2015 Reed v. Town of Gilbert U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The ruling states that municipalities cannot impose regulations on the content of signs.Howard said the process of rewriting the code is complicated and they are currently 60 to 70 percent finished with it.
“Once we rewrite it, it’ll be much simpler,” she said.
For now, Howard said, the town does not enforce any of its content-based code to comply with the ruling.
Kelcie Grega can be reached at 634-8551, or email kgrega@larsonnewspapers.com
