In an effort to eliminate visual pollution, Baton Rouge is rolling out a robocall tool that will make repeated daily robocalls to the phone numbers listed on illegal signs placed around East Baton Rouge Parish.
Mayor Sharon Weston Broome says the calls will inform offending businesses that their signs violate city-parish ordinance and must be removed.
Utilizing the robocaller is the latest step in the city’s crusade against the cardboard signs strewn across neutral grounds and poles across the parish. City-Parish maintenance crews and even council members like Matt Watson make weekly sweeps of the parish to remove illegally placed signs.
Following a robocall, if a business fails to comply with city ordinances it will have to pay a fine ranging from $200 to $1,000. Organizations will continue to receive the robocall message daily until the illegal sign violation is cleared or the fine is collected.
“In addition to detracting from the appearance of our neighborhoods and roadways, these signs can pose a safety hazard to drivers and maintenance crews,” Broome says. “Signs in the right-of-way create blind spots and present risks for our grass-cutting crews, and signs on poles posted with nails, screws, and tacks pose a safety threat to utility workers.”
Former mayors Bobby Simpson and Kip Holden previously had also “declared war” on the Baton Rouge’s litter and blight problem. Broome created a task force to work on the issues earlier this year.
Residents can report illegally placed signs by calling 311, online at 311.brla.gov or through the Red Stick 311 app. Read the mayor’s announcement. To read the recent Business Report cover story detailing Baton Rouge’s litter and blight problem, click here.
