Fargo won’t appeal LED sign decision

FARGO (AP) — Fargo city commissioners have decided not to appeal a district judge’s decision forcing the city to allow a local businessman to build a four-sided electronic messaging sign on the edge of a residential neighborhood.

Judge Douglas Herman earlier this month ordered the city to issue Steve Stremick the sign permit he had been denied for months.

City Attorney Erik Johnson said Stremick “had kind of done what he needed to do” to obtain a permit and that the judge’s ruling would be tough to challenge.

Opponents of the signs worry about light pollution and an increased risk of distracted motorists.

City commissioners have voted for an ordinance to temporarily ban the signs within 150 feet of residentially zoned areas. The moratorium will last until Feb. 18, when a committee working to revamp the city’s sign code should be finished with its work.

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