OUR TURN: Marble Falls should keep the neon turned on

While the Marble Falls City Council is correct in trying to curb garish electronic signs by approving a proposed ordinance that controls visual pollution, most neon lights should be exempt.

As the proposal stands now, businesses would only be allowed one neon sign plus an “open” sign in the window or outside.

But that seems unfair to businesses that have had neon signs for years, such as the Blue Bonnet Cafe.

Owner John Kemper says the proposal would mean he must shut off two of the three neon signs at his business. The signs have been there since 1946.

The Blue Bonnet is as much a landmark in Marble Falls as Granite Mountain, and those signs are an integral part of the cafe’s iconic image.

Kemper shouldn’t have to shut them off, nor should any business owner whose neon lights are tastefully displayed.

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, most would agree that neon signs can be elevated to an art form.

Who hasn’t been mesmerized by the DayGlo colors and  twisty letters?

However, The Planning and Zoning Commission is afraid that some electronic signs are distracting to motorists.

And City Manager Ralph Hendricks said residents have indicated they want a city that doesn’t look trashy. “Clean, neat and orderly” were his words at a recent council meeting.

Fair enough. These are valid concerns.

The council is completely right to try to clean up some forms of visual pollution, whether it’s portable signs with garish lighting parked outside stores or other electronic eyesores.

In fact, blinking, flashing and scrolling messages on electronic signs would be prohibited.

Marble Falls is a gem of a city nestled by a lake, with its shops, churches, schools and homes spread among gently rolling hills of oak and mesquite. The manmade landscape should complement the natural.

For that reason, the council should also see to it that a vast number of those flickering, buzzing or halogen-bright signs are muted or toned down.

But, the city shouldn’t tamper with the neon signs, which are quaint, attractive, welcoming and in some cases historic.

When the council votes on the new ordinance, it should grant a variance to the Blue Bonnet Cafe, the Uptown Marble Theater and other Marble Falls venues that are enhanced by the art form of neon lighting.

Similar measures exist in Austin.

The new ordinance could stipulate what constitutes a “tasteful” neon sign in accordance with accepted community standards.

This isn’t about the business community fearing that regulating its signs equates to regulation of its advertising or marketing capabilities.

This issue revolves around freedom of expression.

The council should prohibit ugly electronic signs, but there’s no reason to hit the off switch for neon.