A street, building, or other city property may be given a commemorative designation. Such a commemorative designation shall not change the official name of the street, building, or other city property, but shall allow for placement of commemorative signs, plaques, or other items to be placed on the building or property or below the existing street signs. The procedure for a commemorative designation shall be as follows:
(a) An applicant may file an application for a commemorative name with the planning and development services department, using a form to be provided by the planning and development services department. The application shall include a description of the proposed naming, the significance of the proposed name, and shall show how the criteria under this section are met by the proposed application.
(b) Upon completion of the application, the planning and development services director shall review and make a written recommendation on the application based on the following criteria:
(1) In the commemorative naming of public property, consideration shall be primarily given to the following criteria: to honor and commemorate noteworthy persons associated with the city; to celebrate local history, places, events, organizations, or culture; or to strengthen neighborhood identity.
(2) If an application is made to commemorate a street or city property after an individual, this person shall have:
A. Demonstrated excellence of contributions to the city's development, community service, personal sacrifice for public service or national defense, or efforts to foster equality among the citizens of the city; or
B. Historical significance locally, nationally, or globally with significant local or regional ties.
(c) Commemorative street names shall not be longer than can be produced by the standard sign manufacturing capability of the public works department.
(d) A plaque or marker may be used on a facility to honor persons or individuals, even though the facility is not named after them.
(e) A commemorative name will be permanent unless stipulated otherwise by an agreement, and as long as the person honored maintains the criteria stated in these standards:
(1) The commemorative sign/plaque including upkeep shall be the responsibility of the city unless otherwise stipulated in the agreement or resolution.
(2) If the person does not maintain compliance with these criteria, the commemorative sign shall be considered null and void and shall be removed by the city.
(f) The application and recommendations shall be forwarded to the city council for public hearing and disposition. The city clerk shall send notice of the date of the public hearing to the applicant. Following public hearing, the city council shall by resolution approve, deny, or approve with conditions the proposed commemorative designation.
(g) If a commemorative designation is approved by the city council, the commemorative signs, plaques, or other items shall not be made and installed until payment for the same is received from the applicant, unless otherwise authorized by the city council.
(h) Denial of an application may be appropriate if the city council finds that the proposed renaming fails to meet the criteria under this section, may bring disrepute upon the community for any reason, or would not be looked upon favorably by city residents.
(Ord. 22-13, passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 18-21, passed 2-9-2021)