Village of Homer. (Photo provided by the Village of Homer)
Homer officials are looking to draft a local law regulating use and permitting light-emitting diodes (LED) and illuminated signs within the village.
The proposed law, which village attorney Fran Casullo said has been in consideration for a couple of years, lines up with three organizations – the Center for the Arts, American Legion Post 465 and the Homer Fire Department on South Main Street – as subjects of a potentially updated ordinance. The organizations are looking to change their sign from clear and plastic signs with plastic letters to LED signs.
“We want to make sure we have something in place so we have a coherent, unified sign law that can adapt to new technology, while maintaining the aesthetic of the village,” Village deputy mayor Pat Clune said to The Cortland Voice on Wednesday.
Officials want to get a local law in motion since an agreement with Homer Central School District (HCSD) is set to expire in the fall. The village and the school are currently under an agreement, until Sept. 12, in regard to HCSD’s new digital signs as the village irons out its new law.
“We worked with each other to come up with a compromise until we finished our update (sign) ordinance,” Clune said.
Casullo said at Tuesday’s village board of trustees meeting that a drafted local law, with possible revisions from Homer officials, could be ready before Homer’s July 9 meeting. The village board, Casullo said, could then have a public hearing on the proposed law either at the end of July or early August.
If the timeline stays intact, Casullo is hopeful that the local law could be up for a vote before the village’s agreement with HCSD expires.
Casullo noted a “violation section” needs to be included in the drafted law, along with other additions. If the local law is approved, Casullo said it will replace the “illuminated signs” section of the village’s code, avoiding any potential conflicts in the process.
Casullo also wants to run the drafted law by the Cortland County Planning Department to see if a review is needed.
Coverage of Homer’s proposed LED sign law can be viewed here.
