The Powell City Council decided that doing away with the city’s Bent Street banner program just isn’t going to fly.

The council unanimously voted down a possible repeal at Tuesday’s regular meeting after supporters raised objections. Councilors also reported finding that most residents like the banners.

Instead of ending the program, the council voted to pursue an increase in fees, from the current $15 to $50.

The program allows community organizations to advertise their events on banners strung across Bent Street, near its intersection with Coulter Avenue. Commercial or political promotions are not allowed.

City Administrator Zane Logan had raised issues with the program at the Feb. 4 council meeting, saying the city’s current fees covered only about a third of the labor costs the city incurs to hang the signs.

Logan also said the work created a potential safety hazard when workers were lifted in bucket trucks parked on the street. The signs also get shredded in Wyoming’s winds, which doesn’t always look attractive on the city’s main downtown thoroughfare, he said.

The council voted unanimously at its Feb. 4 meeting to draft an ordinance repealing the program, while councilors sought more input on the issue. In discussions with constituents, however, council members said they found little support for the repeal.

Councilman Scott Mangold said residents he spoke with saw the banners as part of the town’s tradition of advertising community events.

“They feel that this is hometown stuff,” Mangold said.

Councilman Floyd Young said he spoke with eight people, and they all wanted to keep the banners.

The council members said residents were open to increasing the fees, so the city recoups the cost of hanging the banners.

“What I’m hearing, then, is it’s OK to raise the price so we aren’t subsidizing advertising,” Mayor John Wetzel said.

Powell resident Marybeth Richardson agreed that raising the fees would be acceptable to the community organizations that utilize the program to advertise their events — and she stressed how important the signs were to getting the word out.

At a quilt show in Cody, Richardson conducted a survey of attendees to see how they learned of the event. She said newspaper advertisements were first, but banner ads were the second most-cited source. 

She also explained that alternative methods of street advertising weren’t adequate. Ground-level signs on the side of Coulter Avenue aren’t easily seen by drivers, and vehicles in the right lane can block the signs from the view of people traveling in the left lane.

“I think the banner has value,” she said.

She also questioned if the issues raised about the banners were really that important. Richardson said she was unaware of any injuries to city workers hanging banners, and she had a banner up for six weeks that didn’t become a tattered eyesore.

“I don’t know that’s much of an issue,” she said.

Richardson also said tourists passing through town responded well to the banners.

“Anything we can do for tourism, I’m all over it,” she said.

Concerns were also raised over Pepsi’s sponsorship of the banners.

Speaking after the meeting, Logan said the company used to freely provide kits that groups can use to create their own banner ads, with a Pepsi logo on the side.

Logan said at some point, the company began to charge a small fee for the kits. In keeping with the spirit of the program, the council is going to consider if this sponsorship is appropriate or should be expanded to other sponsors.

Powell Economic Partnership Executive Director Christine Bekes said the issues raised about the program relate to a larger issue about signage regulations. Bekes said that needs to be considered as the city moves forward on updating city plans.

The council asked City Attorney Sandee Kitchen to draft a different ordinance for the fee increase, which will have its first reading at the next council meeting on March 4.