Fair and Equal Access to San Anselmo Street Banners

WHEREAS, the Town’s current policies on street banners and the Hub sign have operated unfairly, arbitrarily allowing only a select few organizations to use the banner space, and denying all others the use of banner space, and

WHEREAS, the Town’s proposed banner ordinance perpetuates these inequities, in that only Town “sponsored or co-sponsored events” are permitted to use the banner space, but no objective criteria is established as to what events would receive Town sponsorship or co-sponsorship, and what events would not, and

WHEREAS, situated on a major traffic artery, the Town’s street banners and the Hub sign are a highly valuable, precious public resource that should be made available by the Town to the community on a fair and equal basis, and

WHEREAS, street banners have many benefits to the community, including wide notice to the public of events, dramatically increased attendance at events, broad visibility and fundraising support for charitable and civic groups, and schools and youth programs, and promoting civic pride and a sense of community, and

WHEREAS, street banners can also aid in bringing visitors and tourists to Town, which will increase sales revenue and therefore sales tax revenue for the Town government, at a time when the Town government is in fiscal distress,

WHEREAS, many other communities across Marin County (such as Fairfax, San Rafael, Novato and Mill Valley) and across our nation have street banner ordinances that allow street banners of the type proposed by the Citizen’s Sign Committee, and the Town leadership should be able to craft a banner ordinance that accomplishes the objective of the Citizen’s Sign Committee in a legal and constitutional way.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the San Anselmo Town Council adopt the recommendation of the Citizen’s Sign Committee, and enact an ordinance which would allow street banners across Drake and Tunstead and a sign at the Hub in support of the following events:

Town-sponsored events, Ross Valley accredited schools, Ross Valley youth organized sporting and cultural events, and 501(c)(6) status [chamber of commerce] for Ross Valley businesses.