A welcome sign at the City of Blanket has been the center of concern this week after the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) issued an Order of Removal of the sign because of compliance issues.
The sign, which sits on private property at the entrance to Blanket, has been in place for over 20 years, and the issue has concerned Blanket residents and has been a hot topic of discussion on social media sites.
Brownwood News contacted TxDOT Thursday regarding the issue, and Jess Blackburn, Director TxDOT Communications Division in Austin, said in an email that the sign is subject to federal and state regulations of the Highway Beautification Act. Considered to be a “public service sign” under codes in that law, the sign could be considered as an exempt sign under both federal and state law. However, the law limits the size of the sign to 32 square feet.
“TxDOT has in the past looked for a way to exempt these signs from the federal law,” Blackburn said. “Two years ago we requested the limit be increased to 200 square feet. Our attempts have been denied and the federal rules remain at 32 square feet.”
Blackburn said that since TxDOT has been informed that the City of Blanket does not own the sign, they rescinded the initial Order of Removal (OOR).
“Since then, we were informed that the city does not own the sign and the OOR issued to the city was rescinded on Sept. 12,” Blackburn said. “A new OOR has not been issued.”
According to Blackburn, they issued the Order of Removal dated September 2 to the city of Blanket to have the sign removed within 45 days, but since it has now been rescinded, the clock has stopped as TxDOT officials hope to work out a solution.
“Ultimately, we understand the sign is a source of community pride and we will work with the property owner to resolve the compliance issues,” Blackburn said.
He said that as always in matters of regulatory control, if there is any way for the sign to remain in the same location and same size, TxDOT will do everything possible to make it happen, but the federal government could hold out funding for not enforcing compliance in some situations.
“State’s regulatory responsibilities require strict compliance with the law,” Blackburn said. “Failure of the state to provide for the control of outdoor advertising under our required regulatory responsibilities could result in the federal government withholding 10 percent of all federal funding for the state, which would amount to about $300 million per year. That’s why TxDOT continues to inventory all regulated roads throughout the state.”
TxDOT officials said they want to reach a resolution to the situation that will benefit both the community of Blanket and stay within compliance of state and federal regulations.
“TxDOT will always reach out to local city officials and property owners to offer assistance in terms of constructive meetings in an attempt to reach a resolution that is within compliance of the law,” Blackburn said.
