Woods Council Repeals Neon Sign Ban

Hours after more than 2,000 signatures of Woods registered voters were turned into the Woods city clerk, the council voted unanimously to repeal the city's ban on neon signs.

Mayor Robert Novitke, who had voted against the repeal last week during a special meeting he called to discuss amending the sign ordinance, voted in favor of dropping the ban tonight. Councilwoman Vicki Granger also had voted to recommend keeping the ban last week but voted to drop it this week.

The vote puts the issue to rest—at least temporarily. Some council members have said they believe there is a need to discuss more neon regulation.

Neon became an issue in October when businesses were told to remove such signage from their windows or risk being ticketed. The clause of the sign ordinance banning neon first became an issue in 2002 and has been altered several times in the years since, most recently including a grandfathering clause until a date in October, at which time the signs were to be removed. 

Eight businesses appealed to keep their signs, first asking the planning commission and then council. They lost their appeals before city council with little to no discussion, fueling the fire for the business owners to band together and start a signature petition to repeal the ban.

The group turned in more than 2,000 signatures of registered voters Monday to the Woods city clerk, which attorney Gary Wilson said would be verified for record purposes. The signatures would have placed the issue on the November ballot for general election, but there isn't a need for the public vote given the council's recent decision.

The repeal campaign leader, Alan Domzalski, who owns with his wife Val, said the signature gathering is what led to the change in the council's decision. 

Wilson agreed, explaining that the efforts by the business owners "forced the hands of the council."

David Reed, third-generation owner of , whose neon sign has been up since 1952, said he is thrilled by the decision but is disappointed in how the process evolved. 

"It shouldn't have been this way in the first place," Reed said. 

The ban will officially be lifted from the city's sign ordinance March 10. The ordinance generally regulates all types of signs, not just neon. The city has agreed that it will not enforce the ban in the interim.