BETHEL — After Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Warden presented selectmen Monday with evidence of multiple “banner” violations of the sign ordinance, the board decided to hold off on enforcement until officials look at changing the regulations.

The issue arose last month when Warden reported that the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum did not have a permit for banners it had placed outside its Main Street building. The ordinance states that “no sign shall consist of banners.”

The banners were also too large to fall under the ordinance requirements for signs, Warden said at the time.

The museum asked to leave them up until an application could be reviewed, but because of the two instances of noncompliance, the town asked that the banners be removed. The museum complied.

This month, Warden, in order to be consistent in enforcement, brought photos of nine other properties with banners to the board to ask if they wanted him to proceed with enforcement. The banners included sale or rent messages, fuel price information, “Bethel” banners on utility poles and a restaurant announcing breakfast.

The board and businesspeople at the meeting balked.

“This is not very friendly to business,” Selectman Pat Carter said. “How are people going to make any money?”

She said some of the banners were “very neat, nice-looking signs,” but noted that others were not visually appealing.

Selectman Don Bennett agreed that the current rules are a problem.

“Banners are something you see everywhere here,” he said. They often go up and come down in a weekend around a specific event, he said. “Banners are just part of the American culture.”

“If this can’t work for business, I will carry the petition to get rid of the sign code,” he said of the sign ordinance at the town meeting on Monday. “I’m not suggesting to anyone out there that everybody go hang a banner out, but complete enforcement would be very time-consuming for Warden.”

Bennett suggested the Ordinance Review Committee make the sign ordinance a top priority and get input from the community.

Bethel businessman Ron Savage attended Monday’s meeting and agreed with Bennett.

“Businesses need to get their message out,” he said.

He said the business directional signs (on state roads) in Bethel that were approved two years ago look “very nice.”

“We can do the same thing with the (onsite) business signs,” he said.

After the discussion, Bennett moved to “hold tight on any enforcement to do with banners at this time,” allowing the Ordinance Review Committee a chance to work on the ordinance.

It was unanimously approved.

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