Jackson Free Press

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
The Jackson City Council is considering putting a moratorium on digital signs throughout the city, with the council set to debate the issue more thoroughly at its Feb. 13 meeting.

The signs, which operate on LCD technology, switch advertisers every six seconds, allowing billboard owners to sell many ads for a single billboard. Several of these signs have already gone up in the Jackson Metro, including one on Lakeland Drive that has drawn the ire of City Council members.

Former Mayor Kane Ditto has voiced alarm over the spread of digital signs in Jackson. "The trend across the country is actually to limit or reverse the growth of billboards, in general," Ditto said. "Billboards should be removed, but digital billboards are worse. They make things more commercial and gaudier than regular billboards. Go to the office of New Community Bank on Lakeland drive. They have a perfect view of that (digital) billboard. It makes their office look tawdry and seedy, and they paid a million and a half dollars for that office."

Ditto further complained that the Lakeland Drive digital billboard featured ads from residential and business communities like Lost Rabbit and the Flowood Town Center—which compete with development in Jackson.

"We're advertising for areas that compete with downtown Jackson, but go out to those same areas and ask them where their billboards are, and they'll laugh at you. They don't have them there," Ditto said.

Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon called the digital signs a violation of city codes, while President Ben Allen said that Lamar, which is the only company to erect the signs in Jackson so far, has no intention of increasing the $20 sign fees it pays to the city for each billboard, despite the substantial revenue increase a digital sign provides to the company.

"I've spoken to (them) and asked—because the revenue from these signs will go up from $800 or $900 a month to $4,000 or $6,000 a month—about the possibility of sharing with the city access to some of these revenues, and (they) said the chances were 'slim to none.' His opinion is that they don't have to do that," Allen said.

Payroll Revisited
In a return to payroll issues from last December, Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler demanded that details on job duties be included in payroll information presented to City Council. A majority of the council voted to have a description of job duties inserted on payroll deductions for next week, with the warning that if the administration fails to provide that information, the council will not approve payroll disbursements.

"It's a new day," said Council President Ben Allen, addressing city Chief Administration Officer Robert Walker. "Mr. Walker, every question Crisler has is totally proper. It was answered in the last administration without any problem, and without any ado. He'll need his answers next week, or we're just going to vote it down."

Crisler said the issue remains a thorn in his side because he feels the executive branch, under Mayor Melton, is too secretive with payouts of city money.

Last year, the council became so outraged at the city administration's refusal to provide such information on temporary workers that it temporarily put a freeze on payments to temp agencies.

Walker assured the JFP that including the added information would not be a problem.