Metro Councilman Matt Watson is introducing an ordinance designed to cut down on the number of temporary signs, such as those advertising “We Buy Gold!,” that have seemingly proliferated all over Baton Rouge in recent years.
Specifically, Watson’s ordinance would make it easier to prosecute those who place such signs in public rights of way, which is illegal.
The parish criminal code currently states that violators can only be prosecuted if a law enforcement officer witnesses an offender placing a sign in the right of way. Watson’s proposal would strip that provision from the law and would also increase the penalties associated with violating the law.
“People attach these signs to light poles, telephone poles, put them in the ground, and as soon as we pick them up they come back the next day and put them back up,” Watson says. “These signs are litter and it happens all across the parish and it’s disgraceful.”
Though Watson’s ordinance, if approved by the council, would make it theoretically easier to prosecute offenders, it won’t necessarily make it any easier to catch them. Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Rowdy Gaudet, who is separately working on the problem, says he has often called the numbers listed on such signs only to be routed to an answering machine.
The city is working on a plan to flood such phone numbers with robocalls in an effort to render them ineffective, Gaudet says.
In the meantime, Watson says it’s time to get aggressive in staking out and tracking down offenders. To that end, his proposal would require companies that make temporary signs to clearly post the regulations and fines.
Those fines will range from a minimum of $200 per sign to a maximum of $1,000 per sign with up to six months in prison. Says Watson: “We need to get on this and fix it.”
The measure will be introduced at the council’s Feb. 28 meeting. It is scheduled to come up for a vote on March 14.
