After years of talks between the city and local businesses, the Hoquiam City Council voted unanimously to approve an updated version of the city’s sign ordinance at its Monday meeting.

The updated rules lessen the restrictions on sandwich board signs and approve blinking “open” signs and directional arrows.

“One of the most important changes is to the rules about sandwich board signs, which were very strict,” said city attorney Steve Johnson, who fielded the majority of the questions about the updates rules asked by council members.

Previously, the type of businesses allowed to display sandwich board signs was limited; the new regulations allow for their use by businesses located in the general commercial and downtown commercial districts of Hoquiam, which comprise most of the downtown corridor long the west bank of the Hoquiam River.

Gone now is the requirement for the business owner to show proof of a $500,000 liability insurance policy. Now, the owner needs to sign and file a release and hold harmless form with the building department, stating the city has no liability in the case of injury caused by the sign.

Johnson said “speech signs,” meaning signs with non-commercial messages, will no longer be treated any differently than other signs due to a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, in which the majority of justices said a city’s restrictions on a church’s signage violated the right to free speech.

“The court said regulations have to be content-neutral and uniform for non-commercial and commercial signs,” he explained. Non-commercial speech signs would include those used to announce events like Loggers Playday and signs promoting political and religious messages. The maximum size for these signs is 32 square feet and must be removed within 10 days of any advertised event or election.

The total ban on blinking signs was replaced with a provision allowing blinking “open” signs and directional arrows when the business is open, said Johnson.

In the first public comment period of the meeting, Kyle Pauley, Hoquiam Business Association board member, spoke about the proposed changes.

“It’s been years of process and a year of meeting with businesses, the cities and others. The (Hoquiam Business Association’s) concerns are all in there and I would recommend you pass the ordinance as written.”

The council then took the vote and the ordinance was passed unanimously, with four members absent for the vote.