Public hearing scheduled for June 15 at 7 p.m.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners set a public hearing for June 15 to consider a text amendment to its sign ordinance to allow for larger signs for schools, churches, hospitals, governmental entities and other public institutions.

The current ordinance for institutional signs only allows for a 16 square foot sign and the proposal is to increase the size to 60 square feet.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met Monday, June 1 and heard from county planner Cathy Ruth that her office received an application in April for an amendment to the sign ordinance from Midway Baptist Church. Midway wants to modify its current sign and the ordinance does not allow the same size sign.

The Polk County Planning Board unanimously recommended changing section 3.5.7 of the ordinance to read, “Regulation of Institutional Signs- signs erected by schools, churches, hospitals, governmental entities and other public institutions. All setbacks are to be 10 feet measured from the property line (out of right of way) and outside of all sight visibility triangles. Such signs may contain two faces, may be changeable copy and may be internally or externally illuminated.”

The proposal is to change the size from 16 square feet to 60 square feet and leave the current maximum height of six feet.

The current ordinance was originally adopted on Aug. 29, 1994.

The proposed amendment for institutional signs is the same 60 square foot requirement allowed for businesses in the county.

The county’s sign ordinance applies to the unincorporated areas of the county, lying outside the extra-territorial jurisdiction of any incorporated city or town. No sign may be erected, maintained, posted, placed, replaced, hung, painted or repainted in any unincorporated area of the county outside the ETJs of any incorporated city or town except in accordance with the county’s sign regulations, states the sign ordinance.

Midway Baptist Church’s Jennifer Evans wrote the planning board asking for an amendment to the sign ordinance. Evans said the church’s current sign is five feet tall and six feet wide. Evans said the church currently uses temporary vinyl and paper signs for upcoming events since the current sign does not allow for any additional information, but those are expensive to replace and do not have pleasing curb appeal for the church.

Midway is proposing to add a stain glass image to the sign that will let passersby know it is a church, Evans said in her letter.

“The picture on the stain glass image is one of Jesus (the great shephard) rescuing one of His black sheep (which we all are),” Evans said. “The addition of the marquee reader board holds 8-inch letters which would allow us to inform the community of upcoming events. This is a more economical investment than replacing the signs every year and a much more appealing presentation of the upcoming events offered at our church.”

Midway Baptist Church is located on Hwy. 108 just outside Columbus.

The county’s public hearing on the proposed sign amendment will be on Monday, June 15 at 7 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Womack building in Columbus.