By Gage Wilson
For Glasgow News 1
Glasgow City Council narrowly gave final approval Monday to an extensive rewrite of the city’s sign regulations, ending weeks of discussion over the proposal while advancing a slightly lower property tax rate with considerably less debate.
The updated outdoor advertising ordinance passed its second reading by a 5-4 vote, the same margin by which it cleared its first reading in August. Council members Elizabeth Shoemaker, Terry Bunnell, Chasity Lowery, Joe Trigg and Freddie Norris voted in favor, while Marna Kirkpatrick, Randy Wilkinson, James “Happy” Neal and Tommy Burris opposed the measure.
Wilkinson, who raised concerns about the ordinance during its first reading, again emerged as its most vocal opponent Monday.
“I’m going to vote the same way I have before, which is going to be, no,” Wilkinson said. “I campaigned for about eight weeks, around three hours a day… Never once during weeks of that did someone come up and say, ‘Hey, this is something to look at.’ I’m not saying they didn’t feel that way, but it’s just not high on their priority list.”
Wilkinson’s concerns extended beyond whether residents viewed signage as a priority. As he did during the ordinance’s first reading, he also questioned how the expanded regulations would be enforced and the responsibility they would place on the city’s code enforcement officer. He also questioned whether additional personnel could ultimately be needed to adequately enforce the ordinance.
Shoemaker, who has been a driving force behind the ordinance’s development, offered a different account of what she heard from residents. Shoemaker said signage was among the concerns brought to her while campaigning, particularly regarding clutter around Glasgow.
That concern predates the ordinance reaching the council. During a February public forum, Shoemaker said residents had approached her about signs obstructing visibility, leading her to consider pedestrian and driver safety as well as fairness in how signage is regulated.
Wilkinson also pointed to KRS 177.106, a state law regulating outdoor advertising along certain highways, questioning whether additional municipal regulation was necessary when state restrictions are already in place.
Kirkpatrick similarly questioned whether the city’s ordinance could conflict with the existing state statute.
“This is not just dealing with the rights-of-way, this is for all signs,” City Attorney Rich Alexander said. “There is no conflict, in my legal opinion, between the revised statutes and what we’re attempting to do.”
Alexander compared the overlap to other areas in which state and local governments maintain regulations covering the same subject.
“There are state laws on alcohol consumption and yet cities often pass their own ordinances dealing with alcohol,” Alexander said. “This is not uncommon that there is some overlap with state law and municipal law.”
While the sign ordinance generated the bulk of council discussion, members also approved the first reading of Glasgow’s 2026-27 fiscal year property tax rate, setting the proposed rate at 16.4 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The rate, known as a “substitute rate,” was recommended by the council’s Finance Committee last week. It represents a slight decrease from Glasgow’s current rate of 16.5 cents per $100 while remaining above the 16.2-cent compensating rate calculated for the city this year by the state.
At 16.4 cents, the city projects collecting approximately $2.12 million in property tax revenue, compared with roughly $2.10 million under the compensating rate. Both amounts would exceed the property tax revenue anticipated in the city’s current budget.
Bunnell, who chairs the Finance Committee, said Glasgow has been fortunate in recent years to reduce its tax rate and described the proposed 16.4-cent rate as a “good and fair rate.”
He did, however, caution council members about slowing growth in the city’s property tax base. New growth totaled approximately $5 million this year, compared with roughly $11 million the previous year, a change that helped create the unusual circumstances allowing Glasgow to consider the substitute rate.
“We need to keep an eye on that,” Bunnell said. “Because if the assessment continues to drop then we are going to feel more pressure on this particular ad valorem tax.”
The tax ordinance will require a second reading before the 16.4-cent rate is formally adopted.
For property owners a home assessed at $200,000 would generate $330 in city property taxes under the 16.5 cent rate, compared with $328 under the proposed 16.4 cent rate.
Council members also approved the second reading of an amendment to the city’s R-4 zoning regulations establishing revised minimum lot requirements for multifamily developments. Under the changes, developments containing five to 10 units require at least 21,000 square feet, while those exceeding 10 units require at least 25,000 square feet.
Both require a minimum lot width of 100 feet and allow buildings and parking to cover up to 75-percent of the property.
The next meeting of the council is scheduled for Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.
Key Facts
• Glasgow City Council approved a major rewrite of the city’s sign ordinance on a 5-4 vote.
• Supporters cited clutter and safety concerns; opponents questioned enforcement and overlap with state law.
• The council unanimously advanced a 2026 property tax rate of 16.4 cents per $100 of assessed value.
• Officials project about $2.12 million in property tax revenue at the proposed rate, above the state-calculated compensating rate.
• Council also updated R-4 multifamily zoning rules, adding new minimum lot sizes and widths.
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