HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.B. Banners for Outside Organizations ROSE\4GUNT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Work Session Date: January 9, 2013
AGENDA ITEM: Banners for Outside Organizations AGENDA SECTION:
Discussion
PREPARED BY: Kim Lindquist, Community Development AGENDA NO
Director; Andy Brotzler, City Engineer;
Dwight Johnson, City Administrator 2•
ATTACHMENTS: February 13, 2006 Council Memo (minutes APPRO ED BY:
missing), November 10, 2010 Council
memo and minutes qJ
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff is requesting Council Direction Relating to Display
of Banners for Outside Organizations.
ISSUE
In October, Councilmember Shoe-Corrigan raised the issue about outside organizations purchasing
banners and having them installed in the community advertising special events.The specific event that
had been mentioned is the band competition held each fall in Rosemount but there are certainly other
events which would be of interest to the public. There are also several organizations that have a
relationship with the City in delivery of an event with community wide benefit that may also want to
have an advertising banner.
DISCUSSION
Background
The topic of banners for non-city event advertising was discussed by the City Council in 2006 and
again in 2010. In 2006,Alan Cox,Communications Coordinator, emailed Mr. Steve Olsen about the
opportunity.The email conveyed the potential cost and also indicated that the City would be willing to
install them at no charge but that the organization,in this case the High School Band,would pay for
the banners. Mr. Olsen responded that he would contact the same vendor that the city used,but did
not follow up with City staff after that.
In 2010 banners were also discussed. It was at this time that the Council discussed a larger banner
across 145th Street,which did not receive support.The Council decided that outside organizations
could purchase banners to be placed on the existing poles. The meeting minutes state: "Discussion
continued about using existing banners poles and switching out with different banners purchased by
organizations."There is no record of whether specific organizations were directly contacted about this
opportunity that I could find.
Cost
At the present time,banners are approximately$48 a piece.This price is somewhat variable since the
set up cost for printing the design is a fixed cost,regardless of the number of banners ordered.There
are 69 poles on 145th Street between Chippendale Avenue and Brazil Avenue and 61 poles on Hwy 3
between County Road 42 and 143`' Street. In the core Downtown, there are 29 poles on 145th Street
between Cameo Avenue and Brazil Avenue. Therefore if an organization would want to place a
banner on every available pole (130) it would cost approximately$6240. Additionally, there would be
costs for designing the banner which is variable but estimated to be $300-500.
There is staff time associated with installation of the banners. It takes three public works employees
and a rental lift to change out the banners.At approximately 10 banners an hour, 70-80 banners can
be replaced in a day. One day of banner work would equate to approximately$1090: two hundred
fifty dollars for the rental lift and the remaining amount for the three public works employees (salary
plus benefits).
Banner Options
There continues to be some interest in exploring community banners. Staff internally has discussed
the idea of the City underwriting all or a portion of the banners for specific events where the
organization has a relationship with the City in delivery of a community wide event. This would
include the Leprechaun Days group,the Haunted Woods group,RACC,and the Beyond the Yellow
Ribbon organization. Staff is suggesting that the banners be placed in the vicinity of the event. For
example, the Haunted Woods Trail could be advertised by banners in the vicinity of City Hall.
Advertising for Leprechaun Days would be on every other pole in the City as that is a large
community event. A RACC event might have several banners positioned near the Steeple Center.
Should the Council choose this option, there are several details that need to be worked out. A design
for any non-Rosemount banners must be developed and approved. Prior to ordering, the number of
banners and their anticipated location needs to be decided. Staff estimates the cost of design and
production of banners for 4 events could be approximately$13,000,which does not include banner
design and the staff time to install and remove the special event banners. Depending upon the length
of display of banners,it is anticipated that the special event banners could last 5 to 6 years.
Another option is to look into placing a banner across 145`h Street as mentioned in 2010. In the 2010
memo to the Council it was indicated that the cost for design,materials and installation of the poles
and wires for banner installation would be approximately$7,000. Each banner (approximately 3'x 40')
was estimated at$1,420 and would be made of vinyl instead of the fabric used in the City banners.
Design of the banners would be in addition to the above cost.The vendor indicated there is no
warranty for a vinyl banner and the expectation is that they would be used for only a few weeks. Most
likely these banners would need to be replaced yearly or every other year.The estimated cost for one
year of display would be approximately$6,000 not including design costs. Since it is assumed that the
banners can only be used for one year this is an annual cost.
Staff had a lengthy conversation with the City Attorney about the posting of banners and issues
associated with free speech,public forum,and public purpose. In a nutshell, the Attorney indicated
that the more the banners are the City's by designing and paying for them, the less issue there is about
other organizations wanting similar access; the free speech issue. If the City purchases the banner, the
Council should also note that the activities being displayed are community activities and therefore
advertising serves a public purpose. While there may be less legal ramifications if the City purchases
and owns the banners, there may be political issues depending upon the activities chosen to advertise.
Local organizations or clubs may ask the City for similar treatment to those groups that have received
banner advertising.The Council will be in the position of choosing which groups deserve the
recognition and which activities don't. Care must be taken in stated criteria for determining City
sponsorship so decisions aren't made arbitrarily and can withstand public scrutiny.
2
For the present, staff is recommending starting a banner program for the traditional community
events, Haunted Trail and Leprechaun Days, as well as advertising RAAC and the Yellow Ribbon.
Promotion of these activities will allow staff to assess the cost and manpower necessary to provide
more banner-advertising opportunities than the current situation. Staff is also recommending using the
traditional banner option rather than "over 145th Street". From a cost and design perspective, staff
prefers the current banner displays.
CONCLUSION
The discussion about banners has been raised over the course of several years. Initially banners were
identified for self-promotion of the City. More recently there has been interest in advertising
community wide events that serve a public purpose. Some potential partners were previously
contacted and asked if they would like to purchase banners which the City would install consistent
with the Council direction. No organizations moved forward.
The current concept is to have the City pay and maintain additional community banners.A few events
have been identified in the memo above that would be considered of community significance. City
financial involvement and decision making assists in addressing some of the legal issues associated
with public forum and free speech. However,political issues about what organizations are chosen may
be raised. Of course the advertising program also raises financial considerations as banner cost and
operational costs are considered.
At this time staff is recommending that the Council explore advertising of events of community wide
benefit.The Leprechaun Days community event is the prime example. Other options include the
Haunted Trail,a RAAC function (the holiday show perhaps),and maybe some joint event with the
Yellow Ribbon organization.These displays will allow the Council to assess the cost and benefits of
the banner program. Meanwhile staff can explore other advertising opportunities that might present
themselves. One option would be to display on the Community Center Readerboard sign,if it is
decided that it should be replaced.
3
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ROSEMOUNTEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Work Session: February 15, 2006
AGENDA ITEM: Community event banners AGENDA SECTION:
or, r 2
PREPARED BY: Alan Cox, Communications coordinator AGENDA NO.i
ATTACHMENTS: APPROVED BY: AljAH-
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion and guidance
A Council member has forwarded the interest of a non-profit community group, the booster organization
for the Rosemount High School marching band, to pay for its own variation on the City's new light pole
banners to welcome participants in a yearly competition. Informal discussions in the group have
apparently pointed toward banners that would include the City visual identity system on one side and a
greeting to competition attendees on the other. Staff has researched a similar arrangement in another city,
and has a summary of internal discussions about policy considerations.
CURRENT ROSEMOUNT BANNERS
The City purchased new banners for light poles late last year. Most have been installed Downtown along
145th Street and South Robert Trail; a few are beside the retail development that includes Cub Foods.
Some poles along South Robert do not have banner arms; those arms are expected to be delivered this
week. When the work is complete, the City will have roughly 135 bannered poles. The new banners cost
the City approximately $45 each; the banner arms cost $190 per pole. Public Works estimates that
switching out all banners including the poles with the new arms will require commitment of a three-person
crew for a full day.
There are two additional banners, slightly larger than the rest and displaying the old City logo, in place on
South Robert near the Community Center and near the middle school These banners will probably be
removed soon, and there are no plans to replace them. Otherwise, there are no banner arms installed
north of 143rd Street.
USE OF BANNERS IN LUVERNE
The City of Luverne, Minn. (2000 population: 4,617) hosts a popular band competition in the fall. That
event is one of four celebrations that are marked with special banners, posted in about a dozen locations
on approaches to the community. The banners are taller and wider than the ones used in Rosemount.
They carry a promotional message for the event, and each banner includes at the bottom the name of a
different local business that provided financial support for the effort The local chamber of commerce
coordinates fundraising and creation of the banners and handles decisions about which events should be
promoted this way. The City of Luverne installs and removes the banners without charge as its
contribution to the effort. The banners go up two or three weeks before an event, and are replaced
afterward with generic banners for the city.
Banners in the central part of the community are not changed for events.
POLICY CONSIDERATIONS FOR ROSEMOUNT
Among the issues that could be considered in formation of a promotional bannering policy:
• Should the City,like Luverne, provide the installation, removal, and storage of banners without
charge to the organization?
• How long would promotional banners be Ieft in place? If the Rosemount event takes place in
October, the regular City banners would need to be reinstalled after the event and then taken down
again about a month later for seasonal decorations. To minimize wear and tear on the regular
banners, should the holiday banners go up sooner, or is there too much of a loss in having the
regular banners unseen for three months in a row
• Would banners be put in place at specific locations, or on every available pole that has a City
banner today?
• How should staff handle additional and possibly competing requests from organizations for similar
consideration?
• Would other school booster groups want a similar arrangement around the same time in the
fall?
• Should a distinction be drawn between public and non-public schools, or school-related groups
and other types of organizations?
• Would it be acceptable to allow banners promoting a religious or political group's event, or a
for-profit activity?
• Is there a limit to how much of the year the regular banners should be kept off display?
2
" �D F.,M\ 1' 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CITY COUNCIL
City Counci Work Session: November 10, 2010
AGENDA ITEM: 145th Street Banner EN DA S i TION:
It A .'A NA
PREPARED BY: Andrew J. Brotzler, PE, Director of Public /J
Works/City Engineer; Alan Cox, AGENDA NO. L- ,C
Communications Coordinator
ATTACHMENTS: Exhibit APPROVED BY:
t7�
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion
BACKGRO JND:
Over the past several years, the City Council has discussed the installation of a system to hang banners for
events across 145th Street. Based on recent City Council direction, Staff has completed a preliminary
investigation into the estimated cost and feasibility of installing a system for hanging banners.
Reviewing the downtown area, Staff anticipates that the installation of poles to hang banners could be
considered on 145`h Street west of Highway 3. The attached exhibit shows a mock-up of a banner across
145`x`Street. The estimated cost for the design,materials and installation of poles and wires for the
banners is S6.40() to $$7,0(X0. Depending on the final location of poles, it may be necessary to secure
easement(s) from adjacent property owners. If easements are necessary, any cost associated with
developing and securing easements would be in addition to the above amount. The proposed locations
for the poles will try to minimize conflict with pedestrian users of the sidewalk on 145`" Street.
Staff asked for a price quote on the cost of a street-width banner from the vendor that manufactured
20 vendor said that it can provide suitable banners that are three
lamppost banners for the City in .. C)C�. The end said p
feet high and 40 feet wide for$1,420 each. The unit cost would be slightly lower if more than one banner
the vendor's artist to create the design would add $200 to
of the same design were ordered. ':l:'he service of the, g
$300 to the cost.
Unlike the lamppost banners that were made of canvass, the street banner would need to be made of vinyl.
because of weight issues. The vendor will not provide a warranty for vinyl banners of that size, and its
customer representative said that banners of that type typically can be relied on for only a few weeks at a
time and should not be considered permanent. (An example was the banner used in Stillwater to promote
Lumberjack Days,which apparently is only displayed for two weeks before the event.) A banner's life
might be extended by adding slits to reduce the effect of wind, although that may limit the usable designs
and make the banner less attractive,and the vendor still will not guarantee its useful life.
The City currently has a policy for promotion of activities by entities outside of City government that was
written to govern which hyperlinks to outside websites can be included on the City site. (The policy is
copied in the "Disclaimer"section of the City website.) In general, the City will promote only activities of
other governments or of non-profit entities with which the City has a service agreement or other formal
arrangement. Creating a different policy for banner display would need to take into account restrictions
on governme it for regulating a public forum for speech, along with abiding by legal requirements to limit
spending to public purposes.
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ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS
NOVEMBER 10, 2010
2.C. 145th Street Banner
Director of Public Works/City Engineer Brotzler summarized the banner supports listed in the staff
report. Communications Coordinator Cox summarized information about the banners and banner
materials.
Different options were discussed for placing banners in the Downtown. Council Member Shoe-
Corrigan suggested that the City to install the poles but the organizations would pay for the banners.
Council Member Weisensel was concerned about adding another element to the sidewalk.
Discussion continued about using existing banner poles and switching out with different banners
purchased by organizations.
The City Council agreed that using new banners on existing brackets would be a great community
feature but they did not support the placement of a street banner of 145`h Street.
2.D. Elections
City Administrator Johnson stated that because Council Member Bills would be vacating his City
Council term the City Council would need to decide on holding a special election or appointing a
new member. He explained that while City Code states a Special Election is required the ordinance
was actually rescinded by a motion shortly after adoption.
Discussion was held by the City Council regarding the cost associated with the special election, the
timeframe and the appointment process used in the past. Council Member Shoe-Corrigan preferred
to appoint a new member instead of expending funds on an election. Council Member Weisensel
preferred a special election but if the appointment process were used instead he wanted it to be a
transparent and open process. Council Member DeBettignies preferred holding a special election.
After further debate and ideas for the how the solicitation and interview process would be handled
the City Council decided to move forward with an appointment process.
UPDATES
3.A. 2011 Budget Discussion
City Administrator Johnson summarized the information provided in the staff report. He explained
minor revisions to the proposed budget. The City Council proposed no additional changes. Mr.
Johnsons stated that the public hearing for the budget will be held on December 7,2010.
3.B. Updates from City Council/Staff
City Administrator Johnsons stated that staff would be going out for bids on the demolition of the
Genz Ryan site and the garage by the former St.Joseph's school.
Discussion was held about adding a sound system at the Steeple Center. The City Council directed
staff to move forward with the purchase.