It is the purpose and intent of this chapter to establish reasonable regulations which preserve the public health, safety, convenience, comfort, prosperity and general welfare of the public, while protecting each person's constitutional right to freedom of speech, as indicated by the following objectives:
(a) To prohibit signs which pose an unreasonable risk to the public safety;
(b) To limit the visual dominance of signs without unconstitutionally restricting the information conveyed;
(c) To provide for reasonable and appropriate methods for locating goods, services, and facilities in all zoning districts by relating the size, type and design of signs to the size, type and design of the uses and districts;
(d) To control the design of signs so that their appearance shall be aesthetically harmonious with an overall urban design for the area;
(e) To promote traffic safety by preventing obstructions within public rights-of-way, minimizing visual distractions to motorists, ensuring that sign size and height are appropriate to their location and preventing conflicts with public safety signs and police and fire protection;
(f) To promote the most desirable developments and economic activity in accordance with the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan; and
(g) To promote the public right to receive religious, political, economic, social, philosophical and other First Amendment protected messages.
The City does not intend to infringe on the rights of free speech as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, §11 of the Ohio Constitution. All regulations in this chapter are to be construed, whenever possible, in favor of vigorous political debate and accommodation of the rights of persons to speak freely.
(Ord. 2022-22. Passed 5-10-22.)