At its regular meeting scheduled for 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinance 466-17 which would make a number of updates to Toledo’s signage code regarding Electronic Message Centers. Currently, all applications for these signs must be granted a variance by the Board of Zoning Appeals, due to the lack of an existing framework in the signage code for regulating the signs. The ordinance includes standards for zoning, allowed number of signs, allowed sign type, dimensions, message movement and frequency, design elements, brightness, and operation in residential areas. The changes were recently approved by Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee following approval by the Toledo Plan Commission. The Chamber has been involved in stakeholder discussions on behalf of the business community concerning these updates.

The following are other ordinances likely to be voted on by Council:

• Ordinance 447-17 which would appropriate $3,350,000 of available funds within the Capital Improvements Program Fund for updates at city parks, pools and other projects including:
  • Various projects at Friendship Park, Wilson Park, and Bowman Park.
  • Various projects at Navarre Pool and Willys Pool. 
  • Side street parking at 4312, 4313 and 4314 Monroe Street. 
  • Roadway updates at Midlawn Drive, Southlawn Drive, Waverly Avenue, Oakwood Avenue, and Elmwood Avenue. 
  • Resurfacing of the walkway at The Docks.
    
    The funding became available after Council recently voted to return $3 million of unassigned revenue to the CIP Fund from the city’s General Fund. This transfer eliminated any allocating of capital improvement dollars for 2016 general operating expenses.
• Ordinance 457-17 which revises Toledo’s signage code to clarify that abandoned signs and sign structures can be removed by order of the city and that owners can be charged for removal costs.

All Council meetings are held in Council Chambers on the first floor of One Government Center, located on Jackson Boulevard in downtown Toledo.