MOUNT VERNON — For over 17 years Wayne and his wife, Marsha Clayborne, have operated their family-owned business, Clayborne’s Amish Furniture Inc., in Mount Vernon. And for the past three years have given benches and picnic tables to service business storefronts, sidewalks, church events and county fairs, as well as many other community events. Never once did he have a problem with anyone complaining about his product or the signs posted on them. The sign states the company name, address and contact information.
This past July, Clayborne received a letter from the city of Mount Vernon asking that the company signs be removed from the benches. Clayborne was quite surprised to see that they were a problem and quickly had them removed.
“I got a letter July 22nd and only gave to the 1st of August to get all the signs off of [the benches and picnic tables], and they said I had to have a sign close to the size of a business card only,” he said. “And I said if I got to do that what about all these other benches out there [with advertising signs on them].”
Clayborne said the day he was given the letter, he immediately went out and removed the signs on his benches. He gives benches and picnic tables to several local businesses at no charge and he also provides for the maintenance and upkeep of them.
“I got smaller signs than what they do on the benches sitting out there in the shopping center at Kroger,” he said. According to Clayborne, the Mount Vernon Shopping Plaza has 23 benches with advertising signs that are larger than his signs, as his signs were only 15-by-16 inches in size and the other signs were several feet larger.
After Clayborne took his signs off of his eight benches and seven picnic tables, he noticed that the other businesses were not complying to the same law. “I think everybody in the city, everybody in Knox County should be treated the same,” said Clayborne.
Clayborne was not the only business that were required to have advertising signs removed. About 60 notices were sent out in regard to temporary advertising signs that require a permit to have them displayed, including off-site signs that are prohibited by city law.
“I got a couple of complaints about [off-site advertisement signs] and technically that is what is consider to be off-site advertisement, so I asked him to have them removed,” said David Glass, safety-service director for Mount Vernon. “It just kept getting carried away,” he said. “It wasn’t just Clayborne’s off-site advertising signs, but other businesses that were doing the same thing with advertising that was becoming out of hand. The city felt that steps needed to be taken in order to correct the situation, since there are ordinances against such forms of advertisement.”
Glass explained that by the ordinance chapter 1175.02 of the Mount Vernon City code, off-site signs are prohibited. Any sign that is located on a property other than the property where the goods and services are sold or offered for sale is considered an off-site sign.
Also during the time of the complaints against the advertisement signs, the city began a procedure to address another issue of temporary advertisement signs. “[Some establishments} have put temporary signs out and they will put the advertising on it with changeable text, and most of those are illegal because they are temporary signs [without a permit],” said Glass. “The way the ordinance reads, a temporary sign, advertising a sale, can have those three times a year for 30 days at a time, but you have to get a permit for them.” And those signs as well, cannot be located off-site of the location of sale.
“Wayne Clayborne jumped right on it when I asked him to take off the signs,” said Glass. As an alternative he is allowed to have a small sign the size of a business card to have on his benches and tables. Notices have also been sent to other bench advertisement display that is found in the Kroger shopping center and in front of Neff’s.
Glass said that he will be consulting with the law director for the city on what action should be taken in regard to signs that have not been removed or obtained proper permit, although notices have been sent out. “Out of the 60 [notices sent out] 25 to 30 have already taken them down and half a dozen have gone through the procedure of getting a permit for [the temporary advertising signs] and you are allowed to have it for 30 days,” he said. “We are trying to be as flexible as we can to gain compliance with the ordinances.
“Everyone can have a permanent advertising sign. They just have to meet regulations for their zone. And when it comes to temporary signs, your sign has to meet specifications,” said Glass.
