At its April 13th meeting, the City Council revised its billboard ordinance to ban all new billboards and to phase out existing billboards located on non-tribal land as they deteriorate over time. The council determined that billboards are aesthetically unpleasing.
The new ordinance prohibits any new billboards in the City including along Interstate 10 that are located on non-tribal land. Existing billboards erected in compliance with City requirements will become legal nonconforming uses and will be allowed to continue to be operated and maintained in accordance with the City’s regulations of legal nonconforming uses in Chapter 9.66 of the City Code. These regulations do not allow legal nonconforming uses to be intensified or allow static billboards to become digital billboards. Therefore, once an existing billboard has reached its ability to function without major repairs, it must be eliminated.