PIERRE, nike air jordan, S.D. (AP) - Cities in South Dakota would be able to ban most kinds of flashing lights but not electrical signs under a measure that cleared the state Senate Wednesday amid a controversy over a voter-approved ordinance in the tourism hub of Rapid City.
The measure follows a June 2011 referendum passed by two-thirds of Rapid City voters that would ban new digital billboards within city limits, though it would not affect the number of existing ones. Its residents have been outspoken about their distaste with the proliferation of billboards since the bill was introduced in the 2012 legislative session, claiming it clutters views of the area’s natural beauty.
Rapid City is the closest metropolitan district to Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Badlands National Park. The city’s Mayor Sam Kooiker also testified this month that the proposed legislation, SB157, nike air max 90, threatens local control. But supporters of the bill in the Legislature deny the aim is to reduce the power of municipalities.
Sen. Russell Olson, R-Wentworth, said this doesn’t just clarify state laws for Rapid City. He said the same laws apply to Trent or Wilmot or any other place in South Dakota. "You can’t prohibit something in an ordinance that we in state law don’t give you the authority to prohibit," Olson said Wednesday on the Senate floor. Olson questioned whether a city’s residents could vote to dump garbage on a street, even if the state "says you can’t do that. Shall we allow that?"
Whether Rapid City will successfully ban more unappealing signs remains unclear, since the June referendum is going through court litigation. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 24-9 on the amended bill that does prohibit flashing lights on digital billboards except those that provide public service information, nike air max pas cher, such as the date, time and temperature. Jurisdictions could decide the intensity of the lights and the dimensions of the signs or electronic panels.
During the Senate debate, several Rapid City lawmakers explained their opposition. Among them, Republican Sen. Bruce Rampelberg said communities want to advertise their businesses to help them grow. But he said "some businesses will look at this as a blank check" to advertise even more.
But Sen. Joni Cutler, R-Sioux Falls, expressed her support for the measure. She said the law prohibiting local authorities from banning outdoor signs has been "on the books literally for decades." This bill clarifies that "these electronic displays are a part of that prohibition because back in the day when the statute was written, we didn’t have that form of advertising," nike pas cher, she added.
Representatives haven’t voted yet on the most recent amended version that has passed the Senate, air max soldes, so the bill will return to the House. "No one in Rapid City is denied a place to advertise, but...we already have three times the number of billboards as they have in Denver," Republican Sen. Elizabeth Kraus said. "The number one tourist complaint in our area: Too many billboards. If you treasure Rapid City as we do, help us with this."