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ORDINANCE N0. 2007-010
<br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS,
<br />IMPOSING A ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120) DAY MORATORIUM ON THE
<br />ERECTION, CONSTRUCTION, RECONSTRUCTION, AND PLACEMENT OF
<br />BILLBOARDS, ELECTRONIC SIGNS, AND OFF-PREMISES SIGNS WITHIN
<br />THE CITY LIMITS OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS; AUTHORIZING THE
<br />CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY TO DEVELOP NEW
<br />REGULATIONS FOR BILLBOARDS, ELECTRONIC SIGNS AND OFF-
<br />PREMISES SIGNS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL;
<br />PROVIDING A VARIANCE AND APPEAL PROCESS FOR PERSONS
<br />AGGRIEVED BY THIS ORDINANCE; PROVIDING A PENALTY CLAUSE, SAVINGS CLAUSE, REPEALER CLAUSE, SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND
<br />PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
<br />WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Paris, Texas, finds and determines that the sign
<br />regulations of the City of Paris, as contained in Chapter 28 of the Code of Ordinances as they relate to the
<br />erection, construction, and placement of billboards and other off-premise signs were originally codified in
<br />1970 and have not been substantially reviewed or revised since 1986; and,
<br />WHEREAS, due to continuing growth and development in the City of Paris, changes in federal
<br />and state laws applicable to sign regulations and changes in the advertising and sign industry, the City
<br />Council has determined that it is necessary to review, study, revise and update the City's sign regulations as they apply to billboards, electronic signs and off premises signs; and
<br />WHEREAS, since the adoption and amendment of the Sign Ordinance, technology has advanced
<br />considerably in the area of electronic signs, and the City's current regulations provide little or no
<br />guidance or rules pertaining to electronic signs; further, due to the ability of electronic signs to change the
<br />size, type, color and presentation of their message at varying speeds, electronic signs can be more
<br />distracting to the general public and potentially more dangerous to the public safety as they distract the
<br />attention of motor vehicle operators as they are driving on the public roadways; and
<br />WHEREAS, the Council further finds and determines that the unregulated proliferation of "off-
<br />premises signs," defined herein as, "signs used or intended to be used to advertise, identify, direct or attract the attention of the public to a business, institution, product, service, organization or event offered
<br />or located some place other than upon the same lot, tract or parcel of land where the sign is located," in
<br />the City of Paris would create visible clutter and blight, would adversely affect property values and would
<br />otherwise negatively impact the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Paris,
<br />Texas; and
<br />WHEREAS, in order to protect the status quo and avoid the hurried and haphazard construction,
<br />reconstruction, installation or alteration of billboard signs, electronic signs and/or off-premises signs
<br />within the city in anticipation of the development and adoption of new regulations applicable to
<br />these types of signs, the City Council hereby finds and determines that it is necessary to enact a
<br />temporary ban or moratorium on the construction, reconstruction, installation or alteration of
<br />billboard signs, electronic signs and off-premises signs in the corporate city limits of the City of
<br />Paris, Texas.
<br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
<br />CITY OF PARIS, PARIS, TEXAS:
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