New billboards, including high-tech video billboards, would not be allowed under new sign laws being considered by the Salt Lake County Council.

The council approved a draft ordinance of the new billboard restrictions Tuesday, including a cap on billboards at the current number in the unincorporated areas of the county. New billboards would only be allowed in commercial or industrial areas and could only be built if another billboard was removed.

The proposed changes will now be reviewed by the county and township planning commissions and considered for a final time by the council later this year.

The proposed ordinance, Councilman Randy Horiuchi said, is more restrictive while still allowing sign companies an opportunity to improve their sign locations and appearance.

"There are a lot of things, versus our old ordinance, that are a lot stricter," he said. "But what I like is that instead of completely stopping them, it sets a cap which will slowly lower, while still letting companies move the signs from disagreeable sites."

The new ordinance was drafted because of a rash of sign applications within the past year, especially along 3300 and 3900 South between 700 East and Highland Drive. Councilman Steve Harmsen, who also inserted an amendment that prohibits electronic billboards like the one near the I-15 600 South off-ramp, said that the biggest concern from people was large signs near residential neighborhoods.

"We're here because there are large freeway signs in a 7-Eleven parking lot," he said.

Councilman Jim Bradley, who voted against the draft ordinance, said it was "a step backwards" for sign regulation. Instead, he said the council should make every effort to completely get rid of billboards, instead of playing a shell game by moving them from one location to another location.

"The truth is, billboards are in a class of their own," he said. "People got furious about where the next billboard is going."

Dewey Reagan, president of Reagan Outdoor Advertising, said that the new ordinance was needed because of the rash of sign applications from other companies in areas that he would not have considered as ideal for billboards. Anything that helps spread signs out across the county, instead of having them packed together along a few streets, would appease residents while accommodating sign companies, he said.

He suggested the county should also consider a "sign bank," where companies could gain square footage credits for removing billboards from undesirable locations, then use those credits for smaller signs in better locations.

"At this point, the industry is not able to regulate itself and a cap-and-replace program would be a good way to go," he said. "My only concern would be that it is too stringent . . . then you won't see much moving of signs."

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