Twin Lakes address sign installation to begin in May; no appeal process established

The sign chosen by the village is the size of the red one in this photo. /westofthei.com file photo

The sign chosen by the village is the size of the red one in this photo. /westofthei.com file photo

Installation of uniform, reflective address signs on every improved Twin Lakes property is set to take place in mid to late May, village administrator Jennifer Frederick announced at the Village Board committee of the whole meeting Monday.

An invoice to cover the cost of the sign was included with the January sewer bill mailing. The cost to an individual property owner is $31.

To date, 56 percent of people billed have sent a payment, Frederick said. The village will likely send out another mailing to addresses that have not responded. For those unpaid after that, the cost will be added to the parcel’s property tax bill.

Frederick raised the issue of installing the signs late last year after it was asked for by the village police chief. The village fire chief also liked the idea.

The signs are designed to improve the ability to find a specific address in an emergency by being highly visible even at night and installed in a uniform predictable place.

In the process of deciding whether to authorize the signs, the board had several discussions about whether the signs were needed in every instance. Ultimately it was decided that the signs would be most effective if required for every property.

But the issue of putting a sign at every property was discussed again Monday. Two subdivisions in town have requested an exemption from the requirement to have the sign because their homes already have address signs on every property.

The best way for the board to address such requests would be for the board to establish some sort of appeal process and then have that added to the ordinance requiring the signs, Frederick said.

Trustee Kevin Fitzgerald advocated for creating an appeal process because he felt exemptions were warranted for at least two newer subdivisions. Nonstandard signage judged to meet the intent of the signs ordinance should be approved, he said.

“Seems to me the one size fits all is often times foolish,” Fitzgerald said. “I see this as government foolishness.”

None of the other present board members (Trustees Aaron Karow and Jeremy Knol were absent) favored creating a process for appealing the decision to put the signs at every improved property. President Howard Skinner echoed Trustee Tom Connolly’s observation that to do so would be opening a can of worms.

“I think that can is going to be pretty big,” Skinner said.

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