Also ast week, the Des Moines (IA) City Council discussed ways to rid city
streets of illegal signs that are constantly stuck in right of ways — the
ones that offer to buy junk cars or houses from people who are upsidedown
on their mortgage, among various others. ―This visual pollution of these
signs detracts from our community character,‖ south-side neighborhood leader
Mel Pins told the council. ―It‘s kind of the first crack in the broken-window theory
of urban planning.‖ The illegal advertising also unfairly competes with
businesses that play by the rules and observe city sign ordinances, Pins argued.
City Attorney Jeff Lester said that officials are taking legal steps to crack down
on some of the most prolific offenders. Court cases are pending on two
violators, Lester said. A couple other cases also could be filed, he said. ―The
‗signers‘ get more and more clever as we go along,‖ Lester said. ―We run into a
number of them where they are apparently using (prepaid cell phones) so that
there is no name associated with the phone. That makes it a lot more difficult
because we cannot just prosecute a phone number.‖
Mike Swift, Vice President, Trails End Auto and ARA Regional Director Chair, told
the council that he routinely plucks illegal signs from rights of way. He estimated
that he has collect 1,000 of the illegal signs in recent years. ―I do not have a
problem with legal signs, but I have a problem with illegal signs,‖ Swift said. Swift
complies with sign regulations for his business, and he wants the city to step up
enforcement on illegal signs, he said.