“Missing” signs a sign of the times

By Leslie McGuinness
Posted Wednesday, July 14, 2004

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Political candidates who are reporting missing or stolen signs are finding that the Forsyth County sheriff’s office is taking them . . . and for good reason. A significant amount of signs are being placed in the right of way of busy roads, which not only violates county and state municipal codes, but also jeopardizes driver and/or pedestrian safety.

With weekend directional, real estate, business and yard sale signs already overwhelming enough, campaign season adds hundreds of other signs into the mix meaning stricter enforcement of county municipal code 366-104 and state code O.C.G.A. 21-2-3. According to Lt. James Poe, whose unit is in charge of enforcing the sign and other ordinances, said the county code has been in place since 1993.

“The sign ordinance is enforced year round,” said Poe. “Some candidates think they’re being picked on and that their signs are being removed while other’s signs are not. But that’s not the case. I’ve been doing this for 16 years and the law hasn’t changed and procedures haven’t changed, but the candidates have.”

Poe said more candidates are putting out signs and using more volunteer help to place signs on the roadsides. Unfortunately, many of these volunteers aren’t aware of the ordinance and they inadvertently violate the right of way.

“The ordinance helps ensure safety and preserves aesthetics,” said Poe.

Safety wise, signs can obstruct a drive’s view and put in danger state and county workers who have to access utilities or mow next to the roadway. Major intersections and exit ramps off of Ga. Hwy. 400 are the biggest areas of concern. Aesthetically speaking, Poe said some roads, like Ga. Hwy. 141 practically get littered with signs in the right of way or on power poles.

Gary Smith, chairman of the Forsyth County board of elections said that he recently rode in a patrol car with a deputy on a Saturday afternoon. Smith wanted to see how many signs were being removed so that he could let candidates know that their signs were in the wrong locations, why they were taken and where to place them in the future. Smith said that in four hours, 71 signs were collected. Ten of them were candidate signs.

“All of those were in the right of way or nailed to telephone poles,” said Smith. “They’re not supposed to be nailed to posts and you see a lot of it.”

Poe added that when candidates “compete” at the same intersections, they have a limited amount of space to post their signs. What often happens is that candidates keep placing their signs in front of someone else’s. The process keeps repeating itself and before long, several campaign signs wind up creeping closer to the road and ultimately in the right of way.

According to Poe, right of way is measured about 30 feet from the center line to the road side. Distance varies depending on the road size and whether or not it’s a county or state road. Prior to campaign season, a letter was sent to all candidates regarding sign placement and where to obtain a road inventory list with right of way distances for each.

Once the sheriff’s office has removed signs that violate the ordinance, Poe said they’re brought to a dumpster area behind the county detention center. One to two times a week, the signs are picked up by a disposal service. Sometimes, the signs are leaned against the dumpster if they can’t fit inside. If candidates want to try to retrieve their signs they can, but Poe said it’s not recommended.

“It’s not our intent to allow candidates to come onto county property and dig through garbage,” he said.

According to Smith, when candidates start losing signs, the first thing they think of is that their opponents are taking them. However, he feels that’s not the case. It’s usually that the signs have been in violation of the ordinance. Candidates most likely would not steal signs because the act is considered a misdemeanor and could jeopardize their campaigns.

“If candidates are out their losing signs, I want to tell them why they’re disappearing,” said Smith. “Little signs are about $2.50 a piece and stakes make them about a $3.00 investment. As signs are removed, that can add way up.”

If a sign violates the ordinance, candidates do not have to pay a punitive fee. The fine is simply removal of the sign. Signs that are in compliance with the ordinance may stay up for the duration of the election plus 10 days. If a run off occurs, the signs can remain in place until the final election. If candidates don’t remove them after 10 days, the sheriff’s office will.

To learn more about the sign ordinance, contact Lt. Poe at 770-781-2105. For a road inventory list that includes right of way information, contact the county engineering department at 770-781-2165.

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