City leaders pushed for the Redmond reroute so that downtown wouldn’t be so busy. That worked, but now there aren’t as many people looking up at the billboards along the highway’s former path — now called U.S. Business 97.

To remedy that, the two companies that manage the billboards in Redmond have asked the city to let them move their billboards to land bordering the reroute. But some city leaders are worried about moving forward until the city has comprehensive billboard guidelines.

“My concern was that Redmond’s traffic patterns are changing,” Mayor Alan Unger said about issues he has voiced during prior council meetings. “This isn’t the first (plan) that’s been moved. We need to put together a plan that works with the billboard people, staff and council to see a comprehensive look.”

A billboard code could include rules about distance from the road and other billboards, height and size of the sign or lighting.

The Redmond City Council will consider moving four billboards during its meeting Tuesday evening.

Meadow Outdoor Advertising — which owns six of 15 billboards in town — lost two of its billboards when the Oregon Department of Transportation removed them during construction of the reroute interchange north of the city, according to the city.

Meadow proposed installing one on Business 97, near Northwest Maple Avenue, and a second billboard just east of the reroute and north of Southwest Highland Avenue, according to a city staff report.

“(Companies) requested to move because they wouldn’t have much traffic,” said Grant Wencel, an associate planner for Redmond. “All of this is connected to the reroute somehow, someway because it changed traffic patterns.”

Carlson Sign Co. wants to put two signs along the reroute. The city recently approved a location along Business 97, but now the company wants the billboard to be within view of reroute drivers.

Both of Carlson’s signs would, if approved, sit between Canal Boulevard and the reroute.

Neither company responded to requests for information.

Even if the Redmond City Council votes to approve the new locations, ODOT must also review and approve the locations before they could be installed, Wencel said.

But Unger said the city does not have any updated guidance on how to handle billboards. He wants signs, he said, to have visibility, but he doesn’t want the billboards to overwhelm any single area. He also argued that the city needs to be able to respond consistently to billboard requests, including their location.

The reroute adds a new twist to planning where billboards can be displayed, Planning Commissioner Camden King said.

“The billboard code was developed without the reroute in mind,” King said. “Now, it might make sense to look at financial benefits, and benefits to promotion and advertising. But you also have to put on the other end of the teeter-totter the issue of visual noise.”

Unger said technology on billboards has changed over the years. They are no longer just pictures, but they also include electronic and rotating images, he said.

“Why can’t we have a better understanding of where we see the future of billboards,” Unger said. “Then we kind of have a long-term vision plan, just like the long vision plans for roads and streets. Billboards have an impact, and we should think this through before we open the doors.”

Schedule

• On Tuesday, the Prineville City Council will hold a meeting during which the city’s mayor will update the council on the hiring process for a new city manager.

• Deschutes County Com-missioners will discuss the Redmond Humane Society and Bethlehem Inn during its work session on Wednesday afternoon.

• Also on Wednesday, the Jefferson County Commission will hear reports on the Jefferson County Fair and on a rate increase for the county’s emergency services.

• The La Pine City Council also meets on Wednesday. Councilors will discuss affordable housing and a plan for traffic system development charges, or SDCs.

• On Thursday, Scott Aycock, of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Commission, will update Sisters City Council on COIC’s regional transit system. Aycock will also report on the feasibility of a local senior center. The council will also consider giving an exclusive waste franchise to High Country Enterprises.

Prineville City Council

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: 387 N.E. Third St., Prineville

Redmond City Council

When: 6:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: 777 S.W. Deschutes Ave., Redmond

Madras City Council

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: 71 S.E. D St., Madras

Jefferson County Commission

When: 9 a.m. Wednesday

Where: 66 S.E. D St., Madras

Deschutes County Commission

When: 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: 1300 N.W. Wall St., Bend

La Pine City Council

When: 6 p.m. Wednesday

Where: 51340 U.S. Highway 97, La Pine

Sisters City Council

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: 520 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters

— Patrick Cliff