GLOBE — It was libertarians vs the bureaus as City Manager Paul Jepson chaired a public meeting on the proposed sign code changes according to instructions from the Mayor and City Council in  their  Nov. 7  meeting.

Also attending were Mayor Al Gameros, District 5 councilwoman Charlene Giles and Vice Mayor Mike Stapleton of District 4. 

More than two dozen business owners showed up to listen and to voice their concerns.

Jepson provided those attending with a copy of the proposed code he had shown to the City Council earlier and added a question and answer sheet which he went through line by line.

He had a power point set up for general information, but the audience was more concerned over the costs and limitations that the sign code would impose.

Some even questioned the need for an ordinance in the first place.

“Who has complained,” asked one attendee.”  Safety, fairness and municipal curb appeal were values Jepson espoused.

He took note of their input and agreed with them that the resulting code should get in the way of businesses as little as possible and that fees should not constitute a tax, but should be set to cover the actual expense of inspection and clerical time.  

This was in line with the approach taken by the City of Globe in respect to other sorts of permits, such as water and sewer hook-ups.

Jepson went back to the drawing board to amend the proposed code for further council consideration.