After some minor confusion about the text of a new addition to Bonney Lake’s sign code regarding nonpolitical civic signs, the city council is making additional changes to the proposal.

Led by Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman, the council is now seeking to limit the locations around the city where such signs may be placed as well as developing a sticker system to better manage the number of signs allowed.

Originally, the change to the sign code brought forth by Mayor Neil Johnson would have allowed the placement of up to 40 signs for a nonpolitical civic organization in the city’s rights-of-way.

Johnson brought the proposal forward at the April 20 council workshop and it was brought for a vote April 27, but language added by attorneys caused the council to table the measure for further review.

The original ordinance, however, did not contain any provisions for enforcing the number of signs and Swatman said he planned to vote against it before a few legal changes sent it back to a workshop.

Swatman proposed not only the sticker system – an idea he said came from a member of the planning commission – but also a proposal to limit the placement of signs.

Calling the original proposal “totally unworkable,” Swatman proposed the sticker idea to ensure city officials can tell which signs are legal and which are not. Forty stickers would be printed and numbered and only signs with those stickers would be allowed to remain.

In addition, Swatman said he thought it would be of more benefit to the public to allow the signs at certain key intersections, which could become places where citizens get used to seeing such announcements.

Swatman was tasked with drawing up locations where the signs would be allowed and he said Thursday he was looking at places where drivers would see them, such as the intersections at Locust Avenue and Sumner-Buckley Highway or the “T” intersection at 192nd Avenue East and Sumner-Buckley.

“Basically the major intersections the majority of people have to drive through,” he said.

The council was receptive to both ideas. Johnson also seemed supportive of the changes.