During its fiscal 2006 state budget deliberations late last month, the Senate did not take up an amendment, adopted as part of the House budget, that would severely restrict the ability of municipalities to site and relocate billboards.

Over the years, many communities have negotiated with billboard companies to have billboards removed from certain areas in exchange for better placement at a different site.

Under the terms of the House budget amendment, cities and towns would essentially lose their bargaining power with companies for the removal and relocation of billboards.

The House budget language in line-item 6000-0100 would grandfather billboard sites for a period of 60 days after the termination of a contract. Due to these terms, a municipality could negotiate an agreement with one company for the relocation of a billboard to a better site, only to have another company then claim the old site and put up a new billboard, as long as it was done within 60 days of the termination of the contract with the original company for that site. Thus, the municipality would be frustrated in its ability to control billboards and would ultimately end up with more unwanted billboards.

The amendment was also introduced in the Senate, but was withdrawn by its sponsor at the MMA’s request.

The MMA will work to have the amendment dropped from the House-Senate conference committee’s report on state budget.

– David Baier