The Baltimore City Council is considering Bill 20-0570 to authorize the erection of digital billboards within railroad rights of way. The bill was introduced in July by City Council President Brandon Scott and is supported by Baltimore’s Mayor Jack Young. Any new billboards must:
- face the interstate
- be 500 feet from other billboards
- be no more than 50 feet high from grade
- be no more 672 square feet
- have a brightness adjuster
Baltimore has had a 21 year moratorium on new billboards. Pacific Outdoor Advertising wants to install 20 digital billboard structures. Joe Jacobs, Pacific Outdoor’s owner is an Afro American businessman. His attorney says, “this is about inclusivity. This is about equity, being fair.”
The city says approval of the bill would get rid of Clear Channel Outdoor’s monopoly and bring in more tax revenue. Fox 5 News quotes a community spokesman saying “the best way for Baltimore to bring in more revenue is to make this a safer place to live and a safer place to visit.”
Insider’s take: How do you make Baltimore a safer place to live? By hiring more police and firefighters and medics. That takes money which the digital billboards will generate. Baltimore taxes digital billboards at $15 per square foot. Looks to Insider like Jacob’s plan would generate $403,200 in additional tax revenue for the city which ought to make Baltimore a safer place to life and a safer place to visit.
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