Bristol exploring other ways of funding address signs

Some members of the Bristol Village Board are ready to explore other ways of funding uniform address signs as a way to jump start the installation of the public safety devices.

The issue was discussed at Monday’s regular Village Board meeting.

Uniform address signs are designed to make it easier for emergency services personnel to locate a property. They typically are made of a material easy to read in the dark and located in a standard location on each property, reducing the need for responders to search for an address.

The board in 2016 enacted a fee to cover the $90 cost of the sign (including installation) to be paid on any new building permit. So far, 54 signs have been paid for, said Randy Kerkman, village administrator. The village has about 1,800 parcels with a structure.

Trustee Carolyn Owens said she would like to see the process kick started somehow.

“My concern is that these are going to go up hodgepodge and what if  someone  doesn’t get a permit for 10 years,” Owens said. She suggested perhaps having to just assess a charge to each property if no grant money or other revenue source can be found.

Trustee Ruth Atwood also said she felt there must be a better way to get the sign project done, but she was wary of the method used by some other muncicpalites who just added the sign cost as a one time charge on tax bills.

Trustee Colleen Fisch asked fire Chief John Niederer how often emergency services have trouble finding an address. Niederer replied “many times.” Kerkman, who also is a firefighter, estimated that he is on calls at least five times a year where finding an address is difficult.

Fisch proposed making the signs available for purchase at the cost of materials and letting property owners — with specific standards for placement — install them themselves. But others felt that would be difficult to enforce and might yield an inconsistent result when consistency is a key part of the signs’ effectiveness in an emergency because a responder knows where it to look for it.

“You don’t want to leave it up to the property owner to do this,” said village President Mike Farrell said, a sentiment echoed by Kerkman.

Trustee John McCabe suggested Niederer look into a grant to fund all or part of the project. The board agreed to consider the matter again when the fate of any such grant effort is known.

Meanwhile, Kerkman said signs from people who have paid for them through the current system will be installed starting this fall.

 

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2 Comments

  1. robert says:

    I hope this covers paddock lake also

  2. Inconsistency ?? says:

    The story quotes people saying that having the homeowners do it on their own and at “cost” would provide inconsistent results. The fact that you’ve already started charging people the $90 when they decide to do other work on their homes and are now thinking of offering them to do it at a lesser cost or not at all is the “inconsistency” in this equation.

    The board needs to just muscle up and say we are going to do this for your Public Safety and that this is a benefit to you and not just to the firefighters and EMS trying to find your house.

    Pay up and get er done!

    BTW. $90? Two guys pounding a pipe in the ground. Over 1000 signs?
    Seems a little expensive.

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